LAMENTATION Synonyms: 34 Similar and Opposite Words

lamentation

noun

ˌla-mən-ˈtā-shən

Definition of lamentation

as in wail

a crying out in grief there was a great lamentation on Wall Street when the government's latest unemployment figures were published

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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 lamentation 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 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 See All Example Sentences for lamentation

Recent Examples of Synonyms for lamentation

Noun

In Kyiv, the recurring wail of air-raid sirens has become part of daily life.

— ABC News, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026
Yell, scream, jeer, cry, wail, plead—but don’t dare do it while the players are still hitting the ball.

— Corey Seymour, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of wail

Noun

Scott’s face, in this shot, is a whole novel, disintegrating into tears before being shored up again, eventually rearranged into something resembling a welcoming smile that teeters on the edge of collapse.

— Alison Willmore, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026
The strip measures how much the eye produces tears over about five minutes.

— Julie Scott, Verywell Health, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of tears

Noun

Love of Your Life transforms into a mourning vacation, as Maya leaves her new family behind to drink, eat and f*ck her way through years of her life, doing telehealth to pay the bills.

— Jourdain Searles, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026
Pavlohrad, a city in central Ukraine, observed an official day of mourning Friday for five residents killed near shopping malls in broad daylight by Russian drones the previous day.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Sep. 2026

Definition of mourning

Noun

Williams intermittently cuts to ominous exterior shots of a dark church and layers in a score of hymnal lament.

— Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 15 Sep. 2026
That ambiguity is echoed in Banks’ score, which takes on the tone of a lament and a celebration, frustration and hope, struggle and liberation, the quest for transcendence in the face of the challenges posed by daunting inequities.

— George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of lament

Noun

Yell, scream, jeer, cry, wail, plead—but don’t dare do it while the players are still hitting the ball.

— Corey Seymour, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2026
Notably, in October 2025, Shepherd even revealed that founding host Barbara Walters was tough on her during her tenure, to the point of making her cry.

— Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of cry

Noun

There were times in the second half when boos and plenty of groans were heard inside Old Trafford.

— Chris McKenna, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
After two hours of practice, with the 10-foot-tall fences doing little to muffle the bullhorn orders and corresponding groans, the huddle broke and the personalities sprung to life.

— Noah White, Washington Post, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of groan

Browse Nearby Words

lamentably

lamentation

lamentations

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“Lamentation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lamentation. Accessed 20 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of lamentation

noun

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