lamentation

noun

lam·​en·​ta·​tion ˌla-mən-ˈtā-shən 

: an expression of sorrow, mourning, or regret : an act or instance of lamenting

a song of lamentation

… blending a lamentation over the effects of time with a kind of apologia for it.

—Glen R. Brown

Synonyms

• groan
• howl
• keen
• lament
• moan
• plaint
• wail

Examples of lamentation in a Sentence

bitter lamentations for the dead

words spoken in lamentation for the dead

Recent Examples on the Web

This grubby but remarkable bird, badly in need of a bath and some peace, has a difficult time tuning out Earth’s perpetual chorus of lamentation. —Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2024

One of Franz Kafka’s characteristic lamentations of writer’s block, captured in a handwritten letter from a sanatorium, is heading to the auction block. —Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 June 2024

His emotional arc at the end of season one put him on a path of contemplative lamentation. —Andy Andersen, Vulture, 8 Feb. 2024

Myriam Gendron’s third album of melancholy ruminations and stubborn lamentations could refer to all three. —Reed Jackson, SPIN, 16 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above