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

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

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

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
The other main track of Diamanda’s career is her interpretations of old standards, Gospel songs, laments, and folk tunes.

— Matt Thompson, SPIN, 21 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

There’s an awful lot of weeping going on in the stands at the Fifty Something tour.

— Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 14 Aug. 2026
Notably, weeping is an early sign that the fruit’s is its prime and increasingly hospitable to bacteria, worth pairing with a smell- and texture-check before making the call.

— Anne Wolf, Martha Stewart, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of weeping

Noun

An underwhelming and nearly green-less teaser first dropped back in March to the enormous groans of Green Lantern faithful everywhere.

— Jeff Spry, Space.com, 16 Aug. 2026
Not long afterward, witnesses heard groans and heavy breathing as the spiritual adviser put her hands on his shoulders and prayed over him.

— CBS News, CBS News, 14 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 23 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of lamentation

noun

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