lamentable

adjective

la·​men·​ta·​ble lə-ˈmen-tə-bəl 

also

ˈla-mən- 

1

: that is to be regretted or lamented : deplorable

the lamentable consequences of the war

2

: expressing grief : mournful

… a faint and lamentable cry …

—Walter de la Mare

lamentableness noun

lamentably

lə-ˈmen-tə-blē 

also

ˈla-mən- 

adverb

Synonyms of lamentable

• mournful
• weeping
• heartbroken
• funeral
• bitter
• sad
• wailing
• grieving

Examples of lamentable in a Sentence

the lamentable cries of the women for their slain sons were heard throughout the village

it's a lamentable situation, but I don't see how it can be fixed

Recent Examples on the Web

Skeptics said that for a denomination with more than 40,000 churches and millions of members, those numbers were lamentable but not symptoms of a widespread crisis. — ABC News, 25 June 2026

Those lamentable prior actions, of course, include overly generous pension benefits for state workers and public school teachers. — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2026

Ella, whose innocent, concerned face shows an interest in reading her father’s moods, has picked up that a new horizon isn’t entirely lamentable. — Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026

The coarsening of the debate is lamentable, but that’s not the same thing as saying coarse criticism is an incitement to violence. — Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 28 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for lamentable

• rentable
• fermentable
• presentable
• preventable
• representable

Kids Definition

lamentable

adjective

la·​men·​ta·​ble ˈlam-ən-tə-bəl  lə-ˈment-ə- 

1

: that is to be regretted or lamented

2

: sorrowful sense 2

lamentableness noun

lamentably

-blē 

adverb