lament 1 of 2

1
2
as in to regret
to feel sorry or dissatisfied about the youth lamented not having spent more time with his late grandfather

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

lament

2 of 2

noun

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb lament differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of lament are bemoan, bewail, and deplore. While all these words mean "to express grief or sorrow for something," lament implies a profound or demonstrative expression of sorrow.

lamenting the loss of their only child

How do bewail and bemoan relate to one another, in the sense of lament?

Both bewail and bemoan imply sorrow, disappointment, or protest finding outlet in words or cries, bewail commonly suggesting loudness, and bemoan lugubriousness.

fans bewailed the defeat
purists bemoaning the corruption of the language

When is it sensible to use deplore instead of lament?

The words deplore and lament are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, deplore implies regret for the loss or impairment of something of value.

deplores the breakdown in family values

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 lament
Verb
Distributors will always lament, but Fellows’ survey shows a perspective that’s mired in the past. Dana Harris-Bridson, IndieWire, 2 June 2025 There was no traditional offseason after the Lakers won the title, and Caruso laments missing out on some of the fun. Tim Reynolds, Chicago Tribune, 2 June 2025
Noun
My own experience and reality invalidated and denied, which in her heart today would be a very painful lament. Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 11 May 2025 This episode was just like that, a lot of quick dancing, jazz hands, and even a lament sung by Shauhin, just for the most boring and obvious thing to happen in the end. Brian Moylan, Vulture, 8 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for lament
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lament
Verb
  • But while friends and family of the teen mourned her premature death, anti-trans commentators on X turned Fosgate’s last posts into an whirlwind of transphobia — misgendering her, mocking her, and celebrating her family’s loss.
    CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 31 May 2025
  • Mahaffey's husband, actor and director Joseph Kell, mourned her death in a statement to EW.
    Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 31 May 2025
Verb
  • The 15 Most Anticipated Books of Summer 2025, According to Goodreads Users — From Taylor Jenkins Reid to R.F. Kuang of 05 'Far and Away' by Amy Poeppel Amy Poeppel’s Far and Away follows two married women who decide to swap houses and soon regret it.
    Rachel Flynn, People.com, 6 June 2025
  • Oklahoma City has normally been dominant in making teams regret turning the ball over, but the Thunder seemed off against Indiana.
    Matt Levine, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 June 2025
Noun
  • After about seven minutes — and two more rounds of Narcan — the wail of sirens are finally heard.
    Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 30 May 2025
  • The driving force at the center of almost all the show’s best numbers is Webb’s voice, which is a marvelous instrument for this music, equally capable of delivering touching tenderness or a velvety wail of triumphant transcendence.
    Rob Hubbard, Twin Cities, 15 May 2025
Noun
  • Though it was written around the time of Malibu’s Woolsey fire, the 14-minute long dirge that encompasses flames in Malibu and a cougar that roams the hills took on a new and sinister meaning in the aftermath of the more recent fires.
    Chris Willman, Variety, 19 May 2025
  • It’s remained in the company’s repertoire for decades, and the use of Coltrane’s elegy for the love of her life has made that music into two dirges, one for husband John Coltrane and another for the woman on the invisible mourner’s bench honoring and channeling him for the rest of her days.
    Harmony Holiday, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Roxy doesn't take her eyes from the screen, and when Aishah turns the camera to show what's happening in the movie, Roxy can be heard making a noise somewhere between a growl and a whine.
    Mohammed Soliman, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Apr. 2025
  • Inside the fence, the atmosphere was oddly peaceful, and sometimes so quiet that the loudest noise was the whine of an overhead drone.
    Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 6 May 2025
Noun
  • Their music is neither celebration nor lamentation.
    Amir Husain, Forbes.com, 26 May 2025
  • Studio Nicholas Venezia In Janáček’s Quartet No. 1, the Takács ratcheted up the genre’s conversational quality into high drama, widening the expressive gulf between the opening lamentation and the skittering response.
    Justin Davidson, Vulture, 2 May 2025
Noun
  • Bulgakov’s novel The White Guard, published in 1925 and set at the same time, is an elegy for Tsarist Kyiv that detests both Ukrainian national aspirations and Bolshevik rule.
    Uilleam Blacker, The Atlantic, 4 June 2025
  • And then on March 29, Swift published an elegy for Partridge.
    Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 1 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • There's a push, and suddenly, a newborn's first cry replaces the mother's moans.
    Laura Gómez, Scientific American, 26 Mar. 2025
  • The eyes start rolling and the moans come out when dudes get super gooned.
    Mikelle Street, Them., 6 May 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lament.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lament. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.

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