as in wails
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 lamentations
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 previous two Jennings collaborations — 2024’s The Fear of Standing Still and 2020’s Lamentations — are two of Barham’s personal favorites in his entire catalog.
—Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 20 Oct. 2025
What can be dizzying about the collection is the way traditional themes of Yiddish song and Hebrew liturgy — lyrics of resilience in the face of persecution, prayers of consolation for the brokenhearted, Lamentations read on Tisha B’Av — are recast with the Palestinians as their protagonists.
—Andrew Silow-Carroll, Sun Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2025
An artwork from the series Wall of Lamentations by Santiago Montoya that was on view in March at Halcyon Gallery, in London.
—Harper’s Magazine, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025
His latest book is Lamentations of Nezahualcóyotl: Nahuatl Poems.
—Ilan Stavans, The Atlantic, 15 Apr. 2025
There have been lamentations about the end of an era and anxiety in the fan and creative communities about the risk of over-exploitation of the British super-spy.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 26 Feb. 2025
The van pulled into the street, and the crowd followed, muttering lamentations.
—Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2025
The previous two Jennings collaborations — 2024’s The Fear of Standing Still and 2020’s Lamentations — are two of Barham’s personal favorites in his entire catalog.
—Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 20 Oct. 2025
What can be dizzying about the collection is the way traditional themes of Yiddish song and Hebrew liturgy — lyrics of resilience in the face of persecution, prayers of consolation for the brokenhearted, Lamentations read on Tisha B’Av — are recast with the Palestinians as their protagonists.
—Andrew Silow-Carroll, Sun Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2025
An artwork from the series Wall of Lamentations by Santiago Montoya that was on view in March at Halcyon Gallery, in London.
—Harper’s Magazine, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025
His latest book is Lamentations of Nezahualcóyotl: Nahuatl Poems.
—Ilan Stavans, The Atlantic, 15 Apr. 2025
There have been lamentations about the end of an era and anxiety in the fan and creative communities about the risk of over-exploitation of the British super-spy.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 26 Feb. 2025
The van pulled into the street, and the crowd followed, muttering lamentations.
—Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lamentations
Noun
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Ride the thrill of Hostile Design’s passionate wails and percussion overload when the group headlines eight shows to kick off the new year, making their way across California, Rhode Island, Quebec, Ontario, Pennsylvania, and Illinois with the same energy that once fueled their humble beginnings.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
8 Jan. 2026
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The ear-splitting wails came from a little girl trying to get the star’s attention.—
Baz Bamigboye,
Deadline,
3 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Christopher Patterson's mother held back tears as his family and friends gathered on Friday outside the home where the 23-year-old lost his life two days before.—
Jermont Terry,
CBS News,
10 Jan. 2026
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Narrated by Colm Feore and James Hyndman in the English and French versions of the movie, respectively, the 17-minute stop-motion short follows a poor young boy who discovers a girl whose tears, evoked by a sad home life, turn into pristine pearls.—
Destiny Jackson,
Deadline,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Demonstrations have included cries in support of the shah, something that could bring a death sentence in the past but now underlines the anger fueling the protests that began over Iran’s ailing economy.—
Jon Gambrell,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Jan. 2026
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Demonstrations have included cries in support of the shah, something that could bring a death sentence in the past but now underlines the anger fueling the protests that began over Iran’s ailing economy.—
Jon Gambrell,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Poehler's joke received one of the biggest reactions of the monologue, earning a mixture of laughs and groans.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
23 Dec. 2025
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The crowd immediately let out a mix of laughter and groans as Mathews tried to swap his plate for the one in front of Bertinelli.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Continue reading … WAR OF WORDS – AOC weighs in after Republican laments 'humiliation' of Mamdani campaigning in Arabic.—
,
FOXNews.com,
4 Nov. 2025
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The poem ends with the hero’s burial and the laments of his followers.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The year's first full moon is best known as the wolf moon since the howls of wolves were more likely to be heard during winter, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac.—
Janet Loehrke,
USA Today,
2 Jan. 2026
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United Methodist leadership with the bishop’s office preached to students, who welcomed the leaders with excited howls.—
Liam Adams,
Nashville Tennessean,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The song eventually escalates into a lecherous, breathless, glittering climax of incandescent synthesizers and melodic moans—an erotic asphyxiation depicted as utterly glorious.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Jan. 2026
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Two microphones angle towards the duduk to capture resonant moans, creaks, squeaks and honks akin to the bridge’s.—
Ruby Rosenthal,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lamentations.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lamentations. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
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