lamentations

Definition of lamentationsnext
plural of lamentation
as in wails
a crying out in grief there was a great lamentation on Wall Street when the government's latest unemployment figures were published

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of lamentations These rock lamentations will not be carried over to the full-length album the band still has in the works, which Bono promises will have a more joyful tone. Chris Willman, Variety, 18 Feb. 2026 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 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 The previous two Jennings collaborations — 2024’s The Fear of Standing Still and 2020’s Lamentations — are two of Barham’s personal favorites in his entire catalog. Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 20 Oct. 2025 An artwork from the series Wall of Lamentations by Santiago Montoya that was on view in March at Halcyon Gallery, in London. Harper’s Magazine, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025 There have been lamentations about the end of an era and anxiety in the fan and creative communities about the risk of over-exploitation of the British super-spy. Dade Hayes, Deadline, 26 Feb. 2025 The van pulled into the street, and the crowd followed, muttering lamentations. Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lamentations
Noun
  • Mourners beat their chests rhythmically in the intense summer heat, the wails of women cutting through the noise as the body of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was unveiled beneath a glass case at the Grand Mosalla.
    Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 4 July 2026
  • After a second of consideration, Naim slams the grate shut to the monster’s wails, and the audience’s relief.
    Arushi Jacob, Variety, 19 June 2026
Noun
  • Your eyes constantly produce a thin layer of basal tears to keep the cornea lubricated, and the duct quietly shuttles that trickle into the nose, where it’s absorbed or blended into normal nasal mucus without a trace.
    Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
  • The testimony elicited visible emotion from Celeste’s family — her mother wiped away tears — who remained in court throughout the testimony.
    Madeline Morrison, NBC news, 22 July 2026
Noun
  • Some 30 seconds into flight, lightning struck the rocket, leading to awestruck cries from crowds gathered nearby to watch the launch.
    Brett Tingley, Space.com, 24 July 2026
  • Down the hall, just a few seconds later, a different woman gave birth to a little girl named Yasmina, whose cries could hardly be heard over the sound of the explosions around her.
    David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 22 July 2026
Noun
  • The groans that greeted Haaland’s withdrawal midway through extra time were telling.
    Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 12 July 2026
  • Young climbed into a box, which Strange then stabbed repeatedly, prompting groans from the audience.
    Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 17 June 2026
Noun
  • Chattel slavery, in all its brutality, Sojourner laments, could not just be forgotten; African Americans needed to be compensated for centuries of hardship.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 July 2026
  • Fines aren’t the answer to the EU’s laments, but better third parties are.
    John Tamny, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026
Noun
  • Somewhere in the heated mist hovered the howls of Albert Ayler and the clarion call of his brother Donald’s trumpet, followed by the Ornette Coleman Quartet, saluting him with joyous cacophony.
    Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 21 July 2026
  • Many American poets have written hymns and howls, declarations and outcries for this country that brims with so many people, and so many hopes, from all over the world.
    Scott Simon, NPR, 4 July 2026
Noun
  • In the decades after his death, Johnson’s loose playing and harrowing moans set American music on a path that would encompass Chuck Berry, Bob Dylan, even Nas.
    Steven Johnson, Washington Post, 14 July 2026
  • Sweet tweets, soft moans, the distant caw of a shore bird piloting toward the sea, spirited and hopeful, daylight already breaking through.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Lamentations.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lamentations. Accessed 30 Jul. 2026.

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