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I will explain the scenario first.

"I was trying to talk to my friend for many days. But he was busy with his own works. Then he messaged me that he would call me the next day for sure. But he didn't call me even the next day."

I have a complaint with him for not calling.

But I am thinking that the word "complaint" is kind of a formal word. I would like to know about some casual word for it.

I tried Googling and found the synonyms quarrel, disagreement, gripe etc..

But we can't use those words in a casual way.

What are some thoughts on this? :)

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    I would suggest "I was rather miffed with him for not calling." dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/miffed
    – Kate Bunting
    May 16, 2020 at 8:32
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    In casual convos, I usually say beef.
    – Decapitated Soul
    May 16, 2020 at 8:46
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    @Ullas Can you clarify: I have complaint to him for not calling.? This is simply bad English. It is unclear whether you mean "I have complained [verb] to him for not calling" or I have made a complaint [noun] to him about his/him not calling."
    – Greybeard
    May 16, 2020 at 8:58
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    @Decapitated Soul My dad uses "beef" as well. That's a good one.
    – Naomi
    May 16, 2020 at 14:06
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    Not sure why gripe can't be used. Lexico has it as "informal A minor complaint." @Ullas what's wrong with gripe? Did you find any other words which are listed as "informal"? (You did look in more than one dictionary or thesarus, I assume.)
    – Andrew Leach ♦
    May 16, 2020 at 14:55

2 Answers 2

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You can always say

I am cross with my friend for not calling.

It is colloquial and it means

Angry or annoyed with someone. In this usage, cross with is a set phrase followed by a noun or pronoun.

However, you might object that this is rather a British phrase, and rightly so.

There is an American phrase that is used in informal situations:

I am ticked off at my friend for not calling.

OR

It's ticking me off (that) he didn't call.

Tick off

If you say that something ticks you off, you mean that it annoys you.
[US, informal]

  • She's still ticked off at him for brushing her off and going out with you instead.
  • I just think it's rude and it's ticking me off. (Collins)
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  • Though those suggestions may have the same social end, the meaning of these is varying levels of 'I am mad'. The OP asked for synonyms of 'complaint'. One can be mad and not complain, and one can complain without being mad.
    – Mitch
    Aug 8, 2021 at 19:51
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Beef is an informal word that means complaint:

My main beef about the job is that I have to work on Saturdays.

I don’t feel like it’s outdated as an expression. I use it — rarely — as do my friends and we are all in our 20s.

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