lament 1 of 2

Definition of lamentnext
1
2
as in to regret
to feel sorry or dissatisfied about the youth lamented not having spent more time with his late grandfather

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

lament

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb lament differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of lament are bemoan, bewail, and deplore. While all these words mean "to express grief or sorrow for something," lament implies a profound or demonstrative expression of sorrow.

lamenting the loss of their only child

How do bewail and bemoan relate to one another, in the sense of lament?

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 it sensible to use deplore instead of lament?

The words deplore and lament are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, deplore implies regret for the loss or impairment of something of value.

deplores the breakdown in family values

How does the verb lament differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of lament are bemoan, bewail, and deplore. While all these words mean "to express grief or sorrow for something," lament implies a profound or demonstrative expression of sorrow.

lamenting the loss of their only child

How do bewail and bemoan relate to one another, in the sense of lament?

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 it sensible to use deplore instead of lament?

The words deplore and lament are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, deplore implies regret for the loss or impairment of something of value.

deplores the breakdown in family values

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 lament
Verb
Beuerlein lamented that fans can’t just watch all the games on TV at home for free, calling the NFL’s expansion to streaming services overkill. Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 28 Apr. 2026 At a state market in Havana, where prices are relatively lower, 68-year-old shopper Juan Lázaro lamented the state of some fruits and vegetables. ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
Noun
While voters are extremely interested in presidential contests and other high-profile races such as governor, most don’t pay attention to local contests, something both Democrats and Republicans lament. Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 10 Mar. 2026 Ravel imagined his Pavane not as a lament for a dead princess, but as a gentle dance for a little girl in a 16th century painting. Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News, 1 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for lament
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lament
Verb
  • Decadents love and mourn the fall of Rome.
    Olivia Kan-Sperling, Artforum, 2 May 2026
  • Former customers took to social media to mourn or celebrate the airline’s death.
    Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 2 May 2026
Verb
  • Over the course of the day and evening, old secrets, resentments, and regrets bubble up to the surface and Altman crafts a devastating meditation on memory, identity, and the necessity as well as the danger of a vivid fantasy life.
    Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 1 May 2026
  • Towering over the town is another, much bigger, Venetian fort, the Palamidhi (named after Palamedes, Nafplio’s legendarily clever local hero, who outwitted Odysseus and, well, didn’t live long enough to regret it).
    Helen Brown, TheWeek, 30 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • The resulting wail is certainly not kitten-like, sounding more like a cross between a sport bike and a completely uncorked race car.
    Byron Hurd, The Drive, 29 Apr. 2026
  • Mitchell has made the point before that every new technology brings wails that the fish won’t survive.
    Mike McFeely, Twin Cities, 24 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • The pioneering alt-country band returns with its first album in 30 years—a set of cryptic, languid dirges that feels defiantly out-of-time.
    Zach Schonfeld, Pitchfork, 17 Apr. 2026
  • Swedish singer-composer Anna von Hausswolff, whose cathedral melodies, intense vocals and doom-laden dirges share much in common with Nordic heavy-metal culture, specializes in mystery and grandiosity.
    Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 9 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Both motors stay at or below 45 dBA even at full power, something that will genuinely surprise anyone used to the whine of current-generation motors.
    Omar Kardoudi April 10, New Atlas, 10 Apr. 2026
  • The whine from that straight-cut gearbox alone is painfully loud, say nothing of the wide-open exhaust on the 4.0 L flat-six.
    Tim Stevens, ArsTechnica, 16 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Moments of humor sit alongside lamentation and ritual intensity, underscoring the exhibition’s refusal of a single, fixed reading.
    George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 20 Apr. 2026
  • For Marks, the blues isn’t about lamentation.
    Andrew Gilbert, Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • To say an elegy by heart/to zero our dying before birth.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026
  • The show, a sort of elegy for Gen X, opens with a flash-forward to July 16, 1999, the final hours of Carolyn and John.
    Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 14 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • Where my world was hemmed in by ridgelines and holler roads, Mary Lennox’s world was hemmed in by fog and wind and the low moan of a manor house that seemed to breathe on its own.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Mar. 2026
  • Under Hiller, the Kings went into the Olympic break with a whimper and came out of it with a moan.
    Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 1 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Lament.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lament. Accessed 4 May. 2026.

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