lament 1 of 2

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

2 of 2

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

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
Blues head coach Jim Montgomery lamented not being able to get coverage on McDavid. Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 10 Apr. 2025 In recent years, PSG’s French supporters have occasionally lamented the fact that multiple superstar players — among them Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Neymar and Messi — have spent time at the club without making an effort to learn the language of their new home country. Tom Williams, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
Noun
McNamara kills bad guys by the score in a world off its axis while berating herself over neglecting her children, a lament that any modern parent can identify with. Stephen Rodrick, Rolling Stone, 9 Mar. 2025 The village will undergo shifts of its own, but an early sequence of burial and mourning rituals around their grandparents underlines the traditions that still hold sway, with public laments and white mourning hats. Nicolas Rapold, Deadline, 14 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for lament
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lament
Verb
  • Pope Francis' funeral will see President Donald Trump and other world leaders converge on Rome as the Catholic Church mourns the head of the Holy See.
    Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2025
  • Under the blasting sun, mourners prayed, celebrated, and mourned the life of the late pope.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Putin, bent on total victory, may regret passing up the extraordinary chance offered by Trump to end his disastrous Ukraine war and cut his country’s substantial losses.
    Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 18 Apr. 2025
  • Milwaukee likely regrets not having added Smith to their 40-man roster, as injuries prompted them to trade for a starter in April.
    Phil Rogers, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • One of three childhood friends reunited for an extravagant girl’s weekend, Laurie has contained a simmering sadness and rage since the first episode, when seeing her besties, Jaclyn and Kate, chatting and laughing sent her into a wail of despair.
    Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 7 Apr. 2025
  • Expect to hear the unmistakable wail of a vintage F1 car echoing across the speedway, the guttural roar of classic V8s ripping through gears, and the shriek of modern hypercars proving their worth on the track.
    Greg Engle, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Over time, dirge came to mean a funeral song or lament.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025
  • Returnal Returnal was one of the first exclusives of the PS5 generation; a fabulously grotesque sci-fi horror dirge, and still worth your attention today.
    Luke Winkie, Vulture, 1 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The motor produces a whine that is noticeable but not distracting.
    William Roberson, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
  • Israel Hernandez heard the faint whine of sirens outside his Wilmington apartment and looked up just in time to see a minivan crash into another vehicle as police gave chase.
    Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Biblical-style lamentations over Israel’s final corruption have been a staple of the state’s critics and die-hard anti-Zionists for 70 years.
    Martin Kramer, Foreign Affairs, 8 June 2016
  • One third of the way into Katie Kitamura’s 2017 novel, A Separation, its narrator asks an elderly Greek woman to demonstrate a traditional funeral lamentation.
    Lidija Haas, Harper's Magazine, 3 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • The title is borrowed from Elizabeth Alexander’s fourth collection persona poems, historical narratives, jazz riffs, sonnets, elegies, and a sequence of ars poetica which examines the Black experience through the lens of the slave rebellion on the Amistad and nineteenth-century American art.
    Natasha Gural, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
  • Eephus is an elegy, but with just the barest hint of sentimentality—a shrugging send-off that simultaneously cares deeply about America’s pastime.
    David Sims, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • And there, like an old friend, is Cronenberg’s regular composer Howard Shore with a synth moan to keep the mood unnerving.
    Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2025
  • The audience thought his moans were all part of the act.
    Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 17 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Lament.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lament. Accessed 1 May. 2025.

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