lamenting

[ luh-men-ting ]

adjective

1. speaking of something with sorrow, regret, or disappointment; evoking feelings of this kind:

   After the controlled mayhem of their first number, the band went into a laid-back groove with a lamenting melody on the sax.

   As sure as the season changes, we are once again hearing the lamenting call of British Columbia's most vocal crusader against salmon farming.

2. mourning or grieving over something, especially death or profound loss or suffering:

   In some countries, people follow the custom of leading a procession with the decorated body of the dead, for the benefit of the lamenting relatives.

noun

1. the act of grieving or of expressing regret or disappointment:

   Complain and point the finger all you want, but this is not a problem that lamenting will solve.

Other Words From

• la·ment·ing·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of lamenting¹

First recorded in 1510–20; lament ( def ) + -ing ²( def ) for the adjective senses; lament ( def ) + -ing ¹( def ) for the noun sense

Example Sentences

Sweeney’s team swiftly hit back, lamenting “that a woman in the position to share her expertise and experience chooses instead to attack another woman.”

From Los Angeles Times

Ann Coulter, lamenting the Sierra Club’s rejection of immigration issues, wrote an article headlined “Your Choice — A Green America Or A Brown America” for VDare in advance of Earth Day in 2017 and then tweeted that “I’m fine with pretending to believe in global warming if we can save our language, culture & borders.”

From Salon

Two years later, he told Howard Stern that he backed a U.S. invasion, lamenting only that it hadn’t been “done correctly” during the first Gulf War.

From Salon

He has indicated he would again seek to weaken environmental protections, lamenting that because of “a little tiny fish called a smelt, they send millions and millions of gallons of water out to the Pacific Ocean.”

From Los Angeles Times

While lamenting USC’s loss to Penn State, I realized what Coach Riley has been working toward.

From Los Angeles Times