lamentation

noun lam·en·ta·tion \ ˌla-mən-ˈtā-shən \

|Updated on: 1 Jul 2018

Examples: lamentation in a Sentence

Definition of lamentation

: an expression of sorrow, mourning, or regret : an act or instance of lamenting

a song of lamentation

… blending a lamentation over the effects of time with a kind of apologia for it.
—Glen R. Brown

See lamentation defined for English-language learners

Examples of lamentation in a Sentence

bitter lamentations for the dead
words spoken in lamentation for the dead

Recent Examples of lamentation from the Web

For this brief moment, every point of argument mattered, and no detail was too small for concern or lamentation.

— constance grady, Vox, "For Bloomsday, read the bizarrely fascinating story of a Joyce scholar who went missing," 16 June 2018
Coltrane’s lamentation for four black schoolgirls killed by the Ku Klux Klan in a 1963 church bombing.

— bill beuttler, BostonGlobe.com, "In Terence Blanchard’s hands, a trumpet is an instrument of protest," 5 June 2018
Valleywag tweaks him some more, over his apparent lamentation of women’s suffrage and social welfare as blows to libertarianism.

— stephen phillips, San Francisco Chronicle, "New tech books: ‘Conspiracy,’ ‘Broad Band,’ ‘The Truth Machine’," 1 June 2018
And there is hope, as well as lamentation, in its sweet, sad sound.

— ben brantley, New York Times, "Review: ‘The Fall’ Delivers Stirring Protest in South Africa," 12 Mar. 2018
The talk that followed—some lamentation, some j’accuse, many grim warnings, not much humor—was a succession of testimonies against Silicon Valley, along with some acknowledgement that quitting its world-changing products is almost impossible.

— alexander nazaryan, Newsweek, "Is Silicon Valley Silencing Conservatives on Social Media?," 15 Mar. 2018
However, speaking in the aftermath of the loss on BT Sport, Scholes stuck the boot into Mourinho over his tired lamentation and explained why United should be giving teams like Sevilla a much harder time.

— SI.com, "Man Utd Legend Slams Mourinho Post-Match Comments As Inquest into UCL Failure Rumbles on," 14 Mar. 2018
Early on Shaw’s enunciation lacked crispness, and grimaces plus gestures did not make up for the lamentation that was more in the words than the tone quality of the voice.

— alan artner, chicagotribune.com, "Haymarket Opera performs rare Rossi Passion oratorio," 9 Mar. 2018
In the scrap for lamentation, everyone wants to be top dog.

— jane mayer, The New Yorker, "“The Death of Stalin” Dares to Make Evil Funny," 6 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lamentation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of lamentation

14th century

in the meaning defined above

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lamentation Synonyms

LAMENTATION Defined for English Language Learners

lamentation

noun

Definition of lamentation for English Language Learners

: an expression of great sorrow or deep sadness

LAMENTATION Defined for Kids

lamentation

noun lam·en·ta·tion \ ˌla-mən-ˈtā-shən \

Definition of lamentation for Students

1 : great sorrow

2 : an expression of great sorrow

Mourners uttered lamentations.

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lamentation

Definition of lamentation

Examples of lamentation in a Sentence

Recent Examples of lamentation from the Web

First Known Use of lamentation

lamentation Synonyms

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LAMENTATION Defined for English Language Learners

lamentation

Definition of lamentation for English Language Learners

LAMENTATION Defined for Kids

lamentation

Definition of lamentation for Students

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