—used to express unhappiness, pity, or concern
Life, alas, is too short.
Synonyms
Examples of alas in a Sentence
Interjection
Juliet's pitiful lament, “alas, poor Romeo, he is already dead!”.
Recent Examples on the Web
Matthew Continetti, National Review, 30 Mar. 2024
The works at Tiffany are, alas, not for sale — they have been purchased, commissioned, or borrowed by the company — but there is a robust history of department stores hawking art.
—Andrew Russeth, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024
Editor’s picks But alas, Showtime! is determined to exhibit that Peach herself has a life outside of the plumber brothers.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 23 Feb. 2024
In fact, alas, the word derives from ancient Greek, from polites, which means citizen and itself comes from polis, meaning city or community.
—CBS News, 23 Mar. 2024
But alas, the game also plays like something from days past.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2024
San Juan Capistrano, meanwhile, has been on the generous-arts-benefactors list for decades — but alas.
—Teri Sforza, Orange County Register, 4 Feb. 2024
Almost everything in between, alas, proves uneven and inert in a way that dilutes its satirical punch, making this an interesting introduction for first-time writer-director Kobi Libii but a less than satisfying one.
—Brian Lowry, CNN, 15 Mar. 2024
The Middleton-Windsor photograph, alas, was not an Invisible Motocross situation.
—Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2024
Interjection
Such is life with President Biden amid a darkening international scene that, alas, has not changed one bit.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 30 Mar. 2024
The works at Tiffany are, alas, not for sale — they have been purchased, commissioned, or borrowed by the company — but there is a robust history of department stores hawking art.
—Andrew Russeth, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024
Editor’s picks But alas, Showtime! is determined to exhibit that Peach herself has a life outside of the plumber brothers.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 23 Feb. 2024
In fact, alas, the word derives from ancient Greek, from polites, which means citizen and itself comes from polis, meaning city or community.
—CBS News, 23 Mar. 2024
But alas, the game also plays like something from days past.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2024
San Juan Capistrano, meanwhile, has been on the generous-arts-benefactors list for decades — but alas.
—Teri Sforza, Orange County Register, 4 Feb. 2024
Almost everything in between, alas, proves uneven and inert in a way that dilutes its satirical punch, making this an interesting introduction for first-time writer-director Kobi Libii but a less than satisfying one.
—Brian Lowry, CNN, 15 Mar. 2024
The Middleton-Windsor photograph, alas, was not an Invisible Motocross situation.
—Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'alas.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near alas
Cite this Entry
“Alas.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alas. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
alas
interjection
—used to express unhappiness, pity, or concern
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share