lamentation

noun

lam·​en·​ta·​tion ˌla-mən-ˈtā-shən 

: 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

Synonyms

• wail
• tears
• mourning
• lament
• cry
• weeping
• groan
• howl
• plaint

Examples of lamentation in a Sentence

bitter lamentations for the dead

words spoken in lamentation for the dead

Recent Examples on the Web

For those of us in the trenches of X, the meltdown was a familiar sight, echoing the contempt that the tech elite have directed at San Francisco for years, with the endless lamentations of anarchy at pharmacy branches in Union Square or the liberal policies of politicians like Aaron Peskin. —Leo Schwartz, Fortune, 30 June 2025

Give us your final lamentations on this year’s crop of cancellations in a comment below. —Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 21 May 2025

Their music is neither celebration nor lamentation. —Amir Husain, Forbes.com, 26 May 2025

Studio Nicholas Venezia In Janáček’s Quartet No. 1, the Takács ratcheted up the genre’s conversational quality into high drama, widening the expressive gulf between the opening lamentation and the skittering response. —Justin Davidson, Vulture, 2 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for lamentation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation