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
Glen R. BrownExamples of lamentation in a Sentence
bitter lamentations for the dead
words spoken in lamentation for the dead
Recent Examples on the Web
The album’s Bandcamp blurb shouts out Ghédalia Tarzatès, the late French composer who collaged his wails and lamentations in the endangered Ladino language to evoke pangs of existential angst.
—H.d. Angel, Pitchfork, 6 Feb. 2026
The ghetto is full of lamentation.
—Dr. Michael Good, Hartford Courant, 3 Feb. 2026
The space was replete with the repetitive knocking of drumsticks, the undulating rhythm of Qur’anic prayers, and the gut-wrenching murmur of lamentation coming from That is not still (Sesuatu yang tidak berdiam), a 2024 video work about Indonesia’s diverse soundscape.
—Hung Duong, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
The language surrounding Bailey echoes sentiments from the 1990s and early 2000s, when public revelations of a celebrity’s homosexuality often triggered exaggerated lamentations from straight female fans.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lamentation
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H.d. Angel, Pitchfork, 6 Feb. 2026
The ghetto is full of lamentation.
—Dr. Michael Good, Hartford Courant, 3 Feb. 2026
The space was replete with the repetitive knocking of drumsticks, the undulating rhythm of Qur’anic prayers, and the gut-wrenching murmur of lamentation coming from That is not still (Sesuatu yang tidak berdiam), a 2024 video work about Indonesia’s diverse soundscape.
—Hung Duong, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
The language surrounding Bailey echoes sentiments from the 1990s and early 2000s, when public revelations of a celebrity’s homosexuality often triggered exaggerated lamentations from straight female fans.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lamentation
Cite this Entry
“Lamentation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lamentation. Accessed 10 Feb. 2026.
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