mimimi

German

Etymology 1

Imitative of high-pitched muttering. Compare Portuguese mimimi for a similar semantic development.

Interjection

mimimi

1. (derogatory) Used to mock someone's comments or complaints as being whiny or excessive.
   • 2001 June 27, Dirk Mertens, “Ägypten”, in de.talk.jokes‎ (Usenet):

     > Ach ja, kleiner Tip: Nur wer selbst weiß, das er nicht perfekt ist, hat
     > imho das Recht andere zu kritisieren.
     Dann mach mal den Spiegel sauber. Ausserdem: mimimi

     > By the way, bit of a tip: imho, only those who know they aren't perfect
     > are allowed to criticize others.
     Maybe clean your mirror, then. Also: mew-mew-mew.

   • 2006 September 18, “Wird die Brust irgendwann auch wieder kleiner?!?”, in UrbiaCommunity‎, archived from the original on 30 August 2025:

     Und ich kann dier ganzen blöden Sprüche von wegen üppiger Milchbar auch nicht mehr hören. Mimimi...

     And I'm tired of hearing all those stupid lines about a luscious milk bar. Mew-mew-mew...

   • 2013, Jean Bagnol, Commissaire Mazan und die Erben des Marquis, Droemer Knaur, →ISBN:

     Ich sagte: mimimi. So hören Sie sich an. Mimimi, mein Schreibtisch, mimimi, mein Schlüssel. Mann! Glauben Sie ernsthaft, dass ich auf irgendetwas scharf bin, was Ihnen gehört?

     I said: waah. That's what you sound like. Waah, my desk, waah, my keys. For crying out loud! Do you actually believe I've got my eye on anything that's yours?

   • 2019, Mina Teichert, Bruchlandung auf Wolke 7, Eden Books, →ISBN:

     »Einen Strauß? Das ist keine gute Idee, ich kann die gute Frau schon zetern hören: ›Mimimi ... der ist aber groß, mimimi ... wo soll ich damit hin, mimimi ... der kackt alles voll.‹«

     "An ostrich? That's not a good idea, I can alredy her the poor woman ranting: 'Grumble grumble... it's so big, grumble grumble... where would I even put it, grumble grumble ... it's going to poop all over the place.'"

Derived terms

• Mimimi

Etymology 2

Imitative of singing voice exercises without lyrics, possibly from (or at least influenced by) the Solfège note mi.

Interjection

mimimi

1. (chiefly humorous) Used to convey that one is about to sing.
   • 2000 November 10, Flinx, z-netz.miteinander.kontakte‎ (Usenet):

     Aaaah.....da kenne ich auch eine Version....Mimimi....Sing:

     Ahh....I also know a version of that one....mi mi mi....*sings*:

   • 2002 February 21, Christine Vadura, at.freizeit.sonstiges‎ (Usenet):

     < kmkmkm...mimimi.....räusper> junge komm bald wieder, aber nicht z'wider, nach haus..............

     < khm-khm-khm...mi mi mi....clears throat> [slightly modified lyrics of the song "Junge, komm bald wieder"]

Hanunoo

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌmiˌmiˈmi/ [ˌmiˌmiˈmi]
• Rhymes: -i
• Syllabification: mi‧mi‧mi

Interjection

mímímí (Hanunoo spelling ᜫᜲᜫᜲᜫᜲ) (onomatopoeia)

1. a high falsetto-pitched, rapid succession of sounds to call cats

Usage notes

• Additional reduplication can be added if needed.

Further reading

• Conklin, Harold C. (1953), Hanunóo-English Vocabulary (University of California Publications in Linguistics), volume 9, London, England: University of California Press, →OCLC, page 194

Portuguese

Etymology

Imitative of a muttering sound.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /mi.miˈmi/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /mi.miˈmi/

• Rhymes: -i
• Hyphenation: mi‧mi‧mi

Noun

mimimi m (plural mimimis)

1. (Brazil, colloquial, derogatory) a repetitive and/or annoying speech, especially of complaints; whining

   Synonyms: bibibi, chororô, nhanhanhã, nhenhenhém

Derived terms

• mimizento