lament

1 of 2

verb

la·​ment lə-ˈment 

lamented; lamenting; laments

intransitive verb

: to mourn aloud : wail

… nightingales lament without ceasing …

—L. P. Smith

transitive verb

1

: to express sorrow, mourning, or regret for often demonstratively : mourn

… must regret the imprudence, lament the result …

—Jane Austen

2

: to regret strongly

He lamented his decision not to go to college.

lament

2 of 2

noun

1

: a crying out in grief : wailing

2

: dirge, elegy

3

: complaint

Synonyms of lament

Verb

• mourn
• regret

Noun

• wail
• lamentation
• tears
• mourning
• cry
• groan
• howl
• weeping
• moan
• keen

Choose the Right Synonym for lament

deplore, lament, bewail, bemoan mean to express grief or sorrow for something.

deplore implies regret for the loss or impairment of something of value.

deplores the breakdown in family values

lament implies a profound or demonstrative expression of sorrow.

lamenting the loss of their only child

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

Examples of lament in a Sentence

Verb

She lamented over the loss of her best friend.

“I've lost my best friend!” she lamented.

Noun

The poem is a lament for a lost love.

the national lament that was heard when the beloved singer perished in the crash

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Leo decries 'rubble and open wounds' of war The new pope has lamented the conditions for Palestinians in Gaza several times recently and told journalists last month that the only solution in the decades-long conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people must include a Palestinian state. —Reuters, NBC news, 25 Dec. 2025

Several callers lamented the noise on Central Avenue, as protests there turned into block parties that went into the night. —Charlotte Observer, 23 Dec. 2025

Noun

Joel Stedifor sent two pictures of his classic 85-year-old Pontiac and shared my lament about the dearth of old, old Pontiac automobiles. —Laura Lane, USA Today, 14 Dec. 2025

After the singer introduces the track with a swirl of spacey synths and forlorn vocals, his lament quickly morphs into a different beast as a raucous live orchestra bursts in to crack things wide open. —Jason Lamphier, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English lementen, from Middle French & Latin; Middle French lamenter, from Latin lamentari, from lamentum, noun, lament

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

circa 1592, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for lament

• accent
• advent
• ascent
• assent
• augment
• cement
• consent
• dement
• descent
• detent
• dissent
• event

Kids Definition

lament

1 of 2 verb

la·​ment lə-ˈment 

1

: to mourn aloud : wail

2

: to express sorrow for : bewail

lamentation

ˌlam-ən-ˈtā-shən

noun

lament

2 of 2 noun

1

: a crying out in grief

2

: a mournful song or poem