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

Explanation

If you are really upset or sorry about something, you might lament it. A lament is full of regret and grief. If you lament something, then you feel sorry about it. You could lament a mistake you made, or you could lament a horrible thing that happened to a friend. Also, a lament is an expression of grief. So if you keep saying how sorry you are about something, someone could say, "Enough of your laments!" There's also an old literary form called "a lament," which expresses feelings of loss in a long dramatic poem.

Example Sentences

Many of us hear our children and grandchildren lament their financial difficulties.

From Barron's • Mar. 14, 2026

But he might also inspire a true-crime series like Marco Bellocchio’s “Portobello,” which hath no shortage of righteous indignation while also being an epic, a thriller and even a lament.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026

But they nevertheless lament the rollback of their work.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2026

Keening, derived from the Irish word "caoineadh", meaning "to cry", is a traditional vocal lament for the dead and was once a central part of funeral rites in Ireland.

From BBC • Dec. 31, 2025

I lament that I can see no flaw in this bitter axiom.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

Related Words

• bemoan
• deplore
• regret