lamentation

noun

lam·​en·​ta·​tion ˌla-mən-ˈtā-shən 

: an expression of sorrow, mourning, or regret : an act or instance of lamenting

a song of lamentation

… blending a lamentation over the effects of time with a kind of apologia for it.

—Glen R. Brown

Synonyms

• groan
• howl
• keen
• lament
• moan
• plaint
• wail

Examples of lamentation in a Sentence

bitter lamentations for the dead

words spoken in lamentation for the dead

Recent Examples on the Web

The present moment demands resolve and affirmative thinking from the foreign policy community about how to sustain and reinforce the international order, not just lamentations about Trump’s destructiveness or resignation about the order’s fate. —Jake Sullivan, Foreign Affairs, 5 Mar. 2018

No such resourcefulness is evident in Tesori’s score, which wavers between mid-century film-music heroics and sentimental lamentations, with tame avant-garde gestures popping up here and there. —Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024

There's been endless chatter and discussion and debate and lamentation around it. —Kate Bernot, Bon Appétit, 23 Sep. 2024

On the morning of October 7th, Angel collapsed into lamentation. —Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above