alas

1 of 2

interjection

ə-ˈlas 

—used to express unhappiness, pity, or concern

Life, alas, is too short.

Alas

2 of 2

abbreviation

Alaska

Synonyms of alas

Interjection

• boo
• alack
• woe
• rats
• ay
• aw

Examples of alas in a Sentence

Interjection

Juliet's pitiful lament, “alas, poor Romeo, he is already dead!”.

Recent Examples on the Web

Interjection

But alas, eventually all involved have to get down to business and actually contend with the plot beats of Hoover’s story, which is when the movie careens off a cliff, plummeting past so-bad-it’s-good and crashing on the rocks of agonizingly dumb. — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2026

The bill would have established a federal framework for governing athlete compensation, health and safety, transparency, transfer rights and, alas, a Commission on College Athletics. — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 24 Sep. 2026

After all, that makes sense, but alas, like much else in Cody Fern‘s directorial debut, even the most obvious of choices simply don’t add up. — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 14 Sep. 2026

The same, alas, cannot be said for Invasion, by the Guardian correspondent Luke Harding. — Nick Holdstock, The Dial, 8 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Interjection

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from a ah + las weary, from Latin lassus — more at lassitude

First Known Use

Interjection

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for alas

• amass
• bromegrass
• bypass
• crabgrass
• crevasse
• eelgrass
• eyeglass
• groundmass
• harass
• impasse
• jackass
• landmass

Kids Definition

alas

interjection

ə-ˈlas 

—used to express unhappiness, pity, or concern