Etymology From Yiddish קוועטשן (kvetshn, literally “to squeeze, pinch”), from Middle High German quetschen (“crush, press”).
1
To whine or complain, often needlessly and incessantly.
Is this truth I’m delivering up, or is it just plain kvetching? Or is kvetching for people like me a form of truth?1969, Philip Roth, Portnoy's Complaint:
Make a commitment, Charlie. Go with life or go with death, but quit the kvetching. Don’t keep us all in suspense.2001, Glen David Gold, Carter Beats the Devil:
2 more examples
Celebrities often kvetch about the lack of privacy and being bothered by paparazzi, but these are not life-threatening problems and they get enormous advantage as they go through life.2016 May 11, Catherine Shoard, quoting Woody Allen, “Woody Allen at Cannes: artistic competition 'against common sense'”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 23 Mar 2017:
“Long Story Short,” a new animated series from Raphael Bob-Waksberg with art by Lisa Hanawalt, trades the talking animals for kvetching humans.2025 August 21, Robert Ito, “The Makers of ‘BoJack Horseman’ Take Family Matters by the Reins”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 21 Aug 2025: