—used to express unhappiness, pity, or concern
Life, alas, is too short.
Examples of alas in a Sentence
Interjection
Juliet's pitiful lament, “alas, poor Romeo, he is already dead!”.
Recent Examples on the Web
Elon Green, Vulture, 5 Mar. 2025
In every other way, alas, the decision to send our protagonist across so soon is a critical error.
—Graham Hillard, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 28 Feb. 2025
Elsewhere, alas, Mickey has little bodily autonomy.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2025
On that question, alas, my fears turned out to be right.
—Joshua Yaffa, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for alas
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.
Interjection
The production, New Orleans: The Storyville Musical, had not, alas, been a success.
—Elon Green, Vulture, 5 Mar. 2025
In every other way, alas, the decision to send our protagonist across so soon is a critical error.
—Graham Hillard, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 28 Feb. 2025
Elsewhere, alas, Mickey has little bodily autonomy.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2025
On that question, alas, my fears turned out to be right.
—Joshua Yaffa, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for alas
Cite this Entry
“Alas.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alas. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
alas
interjection
—used to express unhappiness, pity, or concern
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share