breast-beating

[ brest-bee-ting ]

noun

1. a loud and demonstrative display of grief, remorse, or the like:

   The authorities indulged in a great deal of breast-beating about traffic accidents but failed to pass new driving laws.

adjective

1. characterized by or involving breast-beating.

Other Words From

• breast-beater noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of breast-beating¹

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

I thought Chris Chibnall‘s stint as showrunner might have better served Whittaker, to put it more mildly than many others have, and though Davies’ immediate successor, Steven Moffat, created some of the series’ best concepts and characters, the “Am I a good man?” existential breast-beating assigned to Twelfth Doctor Peter Capaldi I found tiresome.

From Los Angeles Times

Cue the breast-beating and TikTok wailing.

From New York Times

So, needless to say, the Republicans are now engaged in intense breast-beating and lamentation.

From Salon

As the academy, and the industry, were facing a relatively hashtag-free moment in regards to issues of diversity, inequality and harassment, there was a lack of breast-beating in the presentation.

From Los Angeles Times

There above the fold on the front page was yet another breast-beating tirade about systemic racism dating from more than 170 years ago, “Enslavers in Congress shaped our nation’s history.”

From Washington Post