lament

American  

[luh-ment] / ləˈmɛnt /

verb (used with object)

1. to feel or express sorrow or regret for.

   to lament his absence.

   Synonyms:

   deplore, bemoan, bewail

2. to mourn for or over.

   Synonyms:

   deplore, bemoan, bewail

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verb (used without object)

1. to feel, show, or express grief, sorrow, or regret.

   Synonyms:

   weep, grieve

2. to mourn deeply.

   Synonyms:

   weep, grieve

noun

1. an expression of grief or sorrow.

   Synonyms:

   moan, lamentation

2. a formal expression of sorrow or mourning, especially in verse or song; an elegy or dirge.

   Synonyms:

   threnody, monody

lament British  

/ ləˈmɛnt /

verb

1. to feel or express sorrow, remorse, or regret (for or over)

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noun

1. an expression of sorrow

2. a poem or song in which a death is lamented

Other Word Forms

• lamenter noun
• lamentingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of lament

First recorded in 1520–30; (noun) from Latin lāmentum “plaint”; (verb) from Latin lāmentārī, derivative of lāmentum

Example Sentences

"I don't know what the UN is there for -- there are these international bodies that don't stop these situations," he lamented.

From Barron's

If Park’s film begins as another lament for our layoff-laden modern world, the South Korean director soon introduces a sinister twist.

From Los Angeles Times

Domestically, opposition politicians chanted the traditional laments about executive usurpation and congressional war powers.

From The Wall Street Journal

A bigger question is whether the tax would discourage future start-ups in Silicon Valley, where the low survival rate of new businesses is already lamented.

From Barron's

He laments the use of fixed penalty notices, in which offenders are offered the Hobson’s choice of paying minor fines or fighting criminal offenses for a litany of “anti-social behaviors.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• bemoan
• deplore
• regret