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

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

“Does that mean that you won’t protect us in case — if we don’t pay, you won’t protect us from Russia,” Trump boasted a foreign leader lamenting.

From Los Angeles Times

Disappointed fans took to the post’s comments section to share their frustration, lamenting the late notice and alleging that Ticketmaster had yet to share any communication about the postponement.

From Los Angeles Times

Beyoncé, months after lamenting not “being country ‘nough” in “Cowboy Carter,” is getting the cold shoulder from the country music scene — again.

From Los Angeles Times