lament 1 of 2

Definition of lamentnext
1
2
as in to regret
to feel sorry or dissatisfied about the youth lamented not having spent more time with his late grandfather

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

lament

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb lament differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of lament are bemoan, bewail, and deplore. While all these words mean "to express grief or sorrow for something," lament implies a profound or demonstrative expression of sorrow.

lamenting the loss of their only child

How do bewail and bemoan relate to one another, in the sense of lament?

Both bewail and bemoan imply sorrow, disappointment, or protest finding outlet in words or cries, bewail commonly suggesting loudness, and bemoan lugubriousness.

fans bewailed the defeat
purists bemoaning the corruption of the language

When is it sensible to use deplore instead of lament?

The words deplore and lament are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, deplore implies regret for the loss or impairment of something of value.

deplores the breakdown in family values

How does the verb lament differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of lament are bemoan, bewail, and deplore. While all these words mean "to express grief or sorrow for something," lament implies a profound or demonstrative expression of sorrow.

lamenting the loss of their only child

How do bewail and bemoan relate to one another, in the sense of lament?

Both bewail and bemoan imply sorrow, disappointment, or protest finding outlet in words or cries, bewail commonly suggesting loudness, and bemoan lugubriousness.

fans bewailed the defeat
purists bemoaning the corruption of the language

When is it sensible to use deplore instead of lament?

The words deplore and lament are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, deplore implies regret for the loss or impairment of something of value.

deplores the breakdown in family values

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 lament
Verb
The legendary coach lamented the timing and duration of UConn’s shootaround. Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 28 Mar. 2026 Republicans see the Sununu name as still bankable but lamented the primary. Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 27 Mar. 2026
Noun
And his lament over the pain of farewells likely will be felt by many of the athletes gathering Sunday for the Olympic closing ceremony at Arena di Verona, a 1st century Roman amphitheater. Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2026 Her self-reflections have always landed better than love laments though, and there’s plenty of these on the new one. Lina Lecaro, Rolling Stone, 17 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for lament
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lament
Verb
  • Sanders was still mourning the loss of his beloved Brooklyn Dodgers, who’d fled west, to Los Angeles, nearly seventy years ago.
    Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2026
  • The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department mourns the loss of Deputy Levi Vargas, who passed away on Saturday, March 28, 2026, at the age of 30.
    Austin Turner, CBS News, 29 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Players who use challenges too early may regret it later in high-pressure moments.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 28 Mar. 2026
  • The Welles estate was not approached about this project before it was announced last year, a communication lapse that Saatchi regrets.
    David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 27 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Ride the thrill of Hostile Design’s passionate wails and percussion overload when the group headlines eight shows to kick off the new year, making their way across California, Rhode Island, Quebec, Ontario, Pennsylvania, and Illinois with the same energy that once fueled their humble beginnings.
    Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 24 Mar. 2026
  • Maybe the wails and crushed dreams of American travelers will finally melt their hearts.
    Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • The temperature plunges; Reilly’s trills harden into an Old World dirge.
    Brad Shoup, Pitchfork, 24 Jan. 2026
  • Swedish singer-composer Anna von Hausswolff, whose cathedral melodies, intense vocals and doom-laden dirges share much in common with Nordic heavy-metal culture, specializes in mystery and grandiosity.
    Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 9 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Village sounds of chickens and goats were pierced by the distant whine of commercial jets climbing out of Agadir’s international airport.
    Kevin West, Travel + Leisure, 10 Mar. 2026
  • No suspicious whine in the air, no burning of pungent oils to put off biters.
    Antonia Quirke, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • 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
Noun
  • In Berceuse Parish, there are so many elegies.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Feb. 2026
  • The show, a sort of elegy for Gen X, opens with a flash-forward to July 16, 1999, the final hours of Carolyn and John.
    Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 14 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • Where my world was hemmed in by ridgelines and holler roads, Mary Lennox’s world was hemmed in by fog and wind and the low moan of a manor house that seemed to breathe on its own.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Mar. 2026
  • Under Hiller, the Kings went into the Olympic break with a whimper and came out of it with a moan.
    Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 1 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Lament.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lament. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.

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