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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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

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

Definition of wail

Noun

The crowd erupted, some cheering and others brought to tears, a collective wave of emotion rolling over us as the sky went dark.

— Annissa Durar, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Aug. 2026
Through tears, Duarte described seeing footage of four men who wore ski masks and carried rifles getting out of a minivan and forcing her son and Ruelas into a second car.

— Kevin Sieff, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of tears

Noun

Many residents on Flores island in East Nusa Tenggara province spent the day mourning victims and waiting for aid to arrive to communities still cut off by the deadly quake.

— CBS News, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026
In 2024, the artist added a fifth video, Keening, addressing collective mourning and rage after October 7, 2023, in which Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis and took 240 more hostage.

— Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of mourning

Noun

Life begins as a fanfare — a regal entry heralded by brass — and ends as a solo cello lament and the serene acceptance of death as sung by a choir.

— Tim Greiving, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026
Her laments are now laced with fury, as genocidal wars and murderous technologies join global warming in the twenty-first century’s third decade.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of lament

Noun

Clive and Roosevelt at last heard the shouts of the others and the wild baying cry of the lead dogs, unable to bring the bear to a full bay but easily able now to keep it in sight.

— Paul Schullery, Outdoor Life, 13 Aug. 2026
That kind of front-loading also gives parents a buffer if a child freezes up, cries or needs an extra hug before heading out.

— Ashley Lynch, Miami Herald, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of cry

Noun

Physical symptoms of air irritation include running noses, sneezing, gagging, coughing, and weeping or swollen eyes.

— Stella Canino-Quiñones, Washington Post, 17 July 2026
The latter was the leader of a failed uprising against the ruling Elizabeth 1, and the weeping stag was often used as a symbol adopted by the Earl’s supporters.

— Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 9 July 2026

Definition of weeping

Noun

The grant program is administered by the State Elections Enforcement Commission, or SEEC, Connecticut’s elections watchdog, and campaign treasurers grumble and groan to this day about nit-picking SEEC expenditures accountability requirements.

— Elona Vaisnys, Hartford Courant, 9 Aug. 2026
This reality might produce some groans among the kiddos in your lives, but parents can revel in the fact that BTS sales abound.

— Melissa Knific, Bon Appetit Magazine, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of groan

Noun

Their chorus of howls and yowls was all that kept them connected to the hunters who lagged far behind.

— Paul Schullery, Outdoor Life, 13 Aug. 2026
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

Definition of howl

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 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of lamentation

noun

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