as in wail
a crying out in grief
there was a great lamentation on Wall Street when the government's latest unemployment figures were published
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lamentation
The album’s Bandcamp blurb shouts out Ghédalia Tarzatès, the late French composer who collaged his wails and lamentations in the endangered Ladino language to evoke pangs of existential angst.
—
H.d. Angel,
Pitchfork,
6 Feb. 2026
The ghetto is full of lamentation.
—
Dr. Michael Good,
Hartford Courant,
3 Feb. 2026
The space was replete with the repetitive knocking of drumsticks, the undulating rhythm of Qur’anic prayers, and the gut-wrenching murmur of lamentation coming from That is not still (Sesuatu yang tidak berdiam), a 2024 video work about Indonesia’s diverse soundscape.
—
Hung Duong,
Artforum,
1 Jan. 2026
The language surrounding Bailey echoes sentiments from the 1990s and early 2000s, when public revelations of a celebrity’s homosexuality often triggered exaggerated lamentations from straight female fans.
—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lamentation
H.d. Angel,
Pitchfork,
6 Feb. 2026
The ghetto is full of lamentation.
—
Dr. Michael Good,
Hartford Courant,
3 Feb. 2026
The space was replete with the repetitive knocking of drumsticks, the undulating rhythm of Qur’anic prayers, and the gut-wrenching murmur of lamentation coming from That is not still (Sesuatu yang tidak berdiam), a 2024 video work about Indonesia’s diverse soundscape.
—
Hung Duong,
Artforum,
1 Jan. 2026
The language surrounding Bailey echoes sentiments from the 1990s and early 2000s, when public revelations of a celebrity’s homosexuality often triggered exaggerated lamentations from straight female fans.
—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lamentation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lamentation
Noun
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After a second of consideration, Naim slams the grate shut to the monster’s wails, and the audience’s relief.
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Three species of bats inhabit the site, and supernatural events—including the appearance of the gamekeeper’s ghost and the wail of a banshee—have been reported.
Noun
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Lionel Messi was overcome with emotion after scoring his first goal against Algeria and said after that match his tears came following some tough days not related to soccer.
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Lionel Messi was overcome with emotion after scoring his first goal against Algeria, and said after that match his tears came following some tough days not related to soccer.
Noun
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Some Shiites self-flagellate and draw their own blood in public mourning practices that are controversial, fervently upheld by some while shunned or opposed by other Shiites.
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Ashura processions are usually dramatic affairs, with chanters singing elegies or dirges dedicated to Hussein, while audience members beat their chests and engage in displays of mourning.
Noun
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Every entrepreneur in an emerging market knows the lament about brain drain — the people and the capital that leave for richer markets, treated as a pure loss to mourn.
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His one big lament was missing a 4-foot birdie putt on the final hole.
Noun
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For some, the good news started with a whisper — or a baby’s cry.
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Such efforts at avoidance would lead to cries to apply payroll taxes to non-salary incomes such as dividends.
Noun
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Kimiya was closest, sprawled across the floor weeping, debris swirling around her.
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Al-Shaair’s lasting memory of his only Super Bowl is hearing the news in his hotel room and weeping.
Noun
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Out comes a guttural groan, her exertion a tight whip cracking open a black hole of pain.
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Young climbed into a box, which Strange then stabbed repeatedly, prompting groans from the audience.
Noun
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Through blood-curdling howls and rants about fascism, fraud, and fighting to understand your identity, Truck Violence push through ugliness to find something more unaltered and real.
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Her presence is heralded not by the sounds of howls, roars or clanking chains, but by the shutting of the door to her study, the scrape of her chair as it is pulled towards her desk, and the clanking of her type-writer keys.
Cite this Entry
“Lamentation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lamentation. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.
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