lament 1 of 2

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

2 of 2

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

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 head of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fisherman’s Association thanked state officials for early planning and responsiveness but lamented the impact on the industry. Linda Zavoral, Mercury News, 26 Oct. 2025 Televisions had already been around for decades, and people had lamented their existence from the start. Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2025
Noun
This map is a lament, but also an attempt to perform a restoration, to imagine the nonviolent future after the war has ended when these institutions can be rebuilt. Joanna Warsza, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2025 Told through empathetic interviews with his bandmates and family, Struebing’s ordeal becomes a tale of partial redemption and a lament about the failure of our justice system to meet the mental-health needs of people caught up in it. Judy Berman, Time, 29 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for lament
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lament
Verb
  • Following the news of his death, which was shared on his Instagram page, several drummers mourned DeJohnette in the comment section.
    Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025
  • Signs of mourning in felines are similar to those of humans, including spending more time alone, moving slowly, feeling depressed, and experiencing a decrease in appetite and playfulness.
    Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The Washington Examiner regrets the error.
    Jenny Goldsberry, The Washington Examiner, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Many Reddit users admit to deeply regretting installing above-mount sinks—especially the vessel-style ones often found in bathrooms.
    Lauren Bengtson, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • So, on the night after the murder, the town’s streets were filled with anguished cries from the Inuit—wails of loss and pain.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025
  • The electric version starts the same, but that plaintive wail sounds more like a call to mischief.
    Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • At first a dirge, then the tempo rises, and the hymnal swells.
    Jenny Adams, CNN Money, 5 Oct. 2025
  • Further down the lineup, Friday has Bieber collaborator and indie fave Dijon alongside the melodic dirges of Ethel Cain.
    Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Deciphering the vocalizations involves both sound and context, as a dog’s bark or whine may be tied to its situation, Zhu said.
    Miriam Fauzia, Boston Herald, 12 Oct. 2025
  • The unfiltered electric soundtrack of the Evija goes from a piercing whine to an ear-splitting shriek.
    Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 6 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • The venues shuttered in March 2020, at the onset of COVID, prompting public lamentations from filmmakers ranging from Barry Jenkins and Lulu Wang to Edgar Wright and Olivia Wilde.
    Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 8 Aug. 2025
  • So this isn’t a lamentation that the Giants didn’t trade these players, per se.
    Grant Brisbee, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • At the juncture between postwar noir and golden-age melodrama is Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard, a saturnine elegy to a lost Hollywood of the silent era, when faces and charisma were more desirable than voices or talent.
    Erik Morse, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Harmony Holiday’s elegy/essay for D’Angelo is a stunning piece of writing.
    Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 17 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Imagine a city street at dusk, silent save for the rising sound of a collective guttural moan.
    Tom Duszynski, The Conversation, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Stein’s bedroom adjoined the room where Dodge would visit her lover at night; kept awake by the murmurings and moans, Stein lit a candle and composed a portrait of her host.
    Via Scribner, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Lament.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lament. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.

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