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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Recent Examples of lamentation
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 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
For those of us in the trenches of X, the meltdown was a familiar sight, echoing the contempt that the tech elite have directed at San Francisco for years, with the endless lamentations of anarchy at pharmacy branches in Union Square or the liberal policies of politicians like Aaron Peskin.
—Leo Schwartz, Fortune, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for lamentation
Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2025
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
For those of us in the trenches of X, the meltdown was a familiar sight, echoing the contempt that the tech elite have directed at San Francisco for years, with the endless lamentations of anarchy at pharmacy branches in Union Square or the liberal policies of politicians like Aaron Peskin.
—Leo Schwartz, Fortune, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for lamentation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lamentation
Noun
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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
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In some, relatives are seen walking among the black bags, trying to identify the deceased, as wails and screams fill the background.—
Molly Hunter,
NBC news,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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When Obama delivered his election-night victory speech in Chicago’s Grant Park in 2008 to a massive crowd of cheering onlookers, the cameras caught Jackson looking on, tears in his eyes.—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
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Garland breaks down into tears as her character recalls her former acquaintance being brought to trial for allegedly breaking racial purity laws.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Prime Minister Mark Carney suspended his international trip and declared national mourning, with government flags to fly at half-staff for seven days.—
Jim Morris,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
-
British Columbia has declared Thursday a day of mourning.—
Hira Humayun,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The changes are a source of both lament and ambivalence.—
Naomi Jackson,
Curbed,
11 Feb. 2026
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There is inward-looking anger in Thompson’s voice, halfway between rebuke and lament.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Bergholm employs some very effective sound design here, giving just a hint of animalistic growling to the kid’s lusty cries.—
Catherine Bray,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2026
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Joe’s voice rose to a shrill cry.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Mostly, however, Gee’s sophisticated, stealthily moving film folds any bursts of emotion into its exquisitely dark shadows, letting Evans’ limpid but heartsore music do most of the weeping.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
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In the early twentieth century, on the Andaman Islands, social anthropologists observed ritualistic greetings that involved wailing and weeping.—
Shayla Love,
New Yorker,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Scanlon said inclusion of the searches in Bondi’s binder was also indicative of her intentions, with the attorney general repeatedly referencing the guide to push back on members, sparking groans from several.—
Rebecca Beitsch,
The Hill,
12 Feb. 2026
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The ball nestling into the net was greeted with the unique mix of cheers and groans in Viejas Arena that, to the gambling crowd, can mean only one thing.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Aquilla Sadalla’s wordless vocals, a gorgeous swell of howls and heaves, complement the arrangement without becoming the focal point.—
Mark Richardson,
Pitchfork,
3 Feb. 2026
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At about two this morning, the familiar howl of air-raid sirens woke me in the center of Kyiv, followed by the low thuds of anti-aircraft cannons attempting to shoot down Russian drones.—
Simon Shuster,
The Atlantic,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lamentation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lamentation. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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