deplore

1
2
as in to regret
to feel sorry or dissatisfied about deplored the fact that his guests were seeing his apartment at its messiest

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb deplore differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of deplore are bemoan, bewail, and lament. While all these words mean "to express grief or sorrow for something," deplore implies regret for the loss or impairment of something of value.

deplores the breakdown in family values

How are the words bewail and bemoan related as synonyms of deplore?

Both bewail and bemoan imply sorrow, disappointment, or protest finding outlet in words or cries, bewail commonly suggesting loudness, and bemoan lugubriousness.

fans bewailed the defeat
purists bemoaning the corruption of the language

When is lament a more appropriate choice than deplore?

The synonyms lament and deplore are sometimes interchangeable, but lament implies a profound or demonstrative expression of sorrow.

lamenting the loss of their only child

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of deplore People will decide to read things that would be deplored by literary critics or anti-smut campaigners or religious clerics or card-carrying rationalists. Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025 Much as Craven may deplore the emergence of large agencies that have taken over their competitors, companies like Allied Universal absorbed many of these fly-by-night outfits, requiring at least a modicum of training where there had been less. Harper’s Magazine, Harper's Magazine, 2 Dec. 2024 Though deplored by liberals, such views represent a conservatism far more moderate than outright evasion or denials. Jennifer Lind, Foreign Affairs, 12 July 2022 For Nietzsche, this shift was almost entirely to be deplored. Nikhil Krishnan, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for deplore
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deplore
Verb
  • On Sunday, Battle’s cousins mourned in a relative’s apartment about a half-mile away from the shooting scene.
    John Annese, New York Daily News, 9 Mar. 2025
  • Another video geolocated by CNN showed women mourning among the bodies of at least twenty men in civilian clothes who appear to have been shot dead in a village near the town of al Jinderiyah.
    Eyad Kourdi, CNN, 7 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • As the Miami Herald columnist Omar Kelly said, teams that pass on Ward will certainly regret it.
    C. Isaiah Smalls II, Miami Herald, 28 Feb. 2025
  • The Democrats ended up losing the vote, but Pettersen doesn't regret making the trip.
    Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 26 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • Continue reading … 'WE'LL HIRE YOU' – Governor laments federal workers being fired by Trump admin, offers them jobs.
    Fox News, Fox News, 4 Mar. 2025
  • The Islanders lamented their 21 shots on goal – two fewer than their first period against the Nashville Predators on Saturday in an entertaining 7-4 victory.
    Larry Fleisher, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Deplore.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deplore. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on deplore

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!