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
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Recent Examples of lamentation
On the morning of October 7th, Angel collapsed into lamentation.
—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2024
In October of 2023, she was profiled by the New York Times and The Atlantic; both pieces were lamentations of a political figure who was not inclined to do the performance expected of political figures.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 23 July 2024
Comparable tilts could be seen elsewhere, and great was the lamentation: What happened to progressivism?
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 29 June 2024
This grubby but remarkable bird, badly in need of a bath and some peace, has a difficult time tuning out Earth’s perpetual chorus of lamentation.
—Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for lamentation 
Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2024
In October of 2023, she was profiled by the New York Times and The Atlantic; both pieces were lamentations of a political figure who was not inclined to do the performance expected of political figures.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 23 July 2024
Comparable tilts could be seen elsewhere, and great was the lamentation: What happened to progressivism?
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 29 June 2024
This grubby but remarkable bird, badly in need of a bath and some peace, has a difficult time tuning out Earth’s perpetual chorus of lamentation.
—Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for lamentation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lamentation
Noun
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Sunday, June 8, 2025 Lake Como, Italy THE PARTY AT THE VILLA A single chilling wail erupts from the grand ballroom on Palazzo Mella’s ground floor, cutting through the whir of the choppers above.—
Brenton Blanchet,
People.com,
3 Feb. 2025
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Mark and Helly, drawn to the wails of what sounds like an infant, open a door inside the Lumon complex and discover an all-white room with baby goats frolicking on bales of hay and one being bottle-fed by a man in a suit.—
Jen Chaney,
Vulture,
31 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Dua Lipa, the pop star also known as Dula Peep (thanks to Wendy Williams), has piped up with a message of mourning after popular language company Duolingo murdered its adorable owl mascot, Duo, and subsequently asked its users to respect the singer's privacy in the aftermath.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
12 Feb. 2025
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Our district Crisis Team, which is made up of dedicated professionals trained to help with the needs of students, families and school personnel, will be present at the High School and various district sites throughout this period of mourning.—
Julia Fomby,
Twin Cities,
7 Feb. 2025
Noun
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It can be read as either a defiant declaration or a bitter lament.—
Justin Chang,
The New Yorker,
30 Jan. 2025
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This was followed by a reading of Psalm 42, a lament about an isolated believer who is longing for God’s presence.—
NBC News,
NBC News,
27 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The fundamental elements of African American music were the sounds of enslaved Africans; cries, hollers, call and response, additive rhythms, bent notes, hand-clapping, stomps and constant repetition of rhythmic and melodic phrasing (from which riffs and vamps were derived).—
Ronald E. Scott,
New York Daily News,
1 Feb. 2025
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His pain pours out, like a long cry from Syria’s dungeons, a cry that was silenced during more than half a century of rule by brutal despots, Bashar al-Assad, and his father, Hafez, before him.—
Scott Peterson,
The Christian Science Monitor,
31 Jan. 2025
Noun
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This wry, lovelorn plaint is a cagey display of subtle dynamics and counterpoint on a lone electric guitar.—
Jon Pareles,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2025
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And to be perfectly fair, the New Deal had seven or eight big years of operation (the plaints about the Supreme Court etc. blocking reforms being so many excuses).—
Brian Domitrovic,
Forbes,
20 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near lamentation
Cite this Entry
“Lamentation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lamentation. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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