1225–75; Middle English < Old French ( h ) a las!, equivalent to ( h ) a ah + las wretched < Latin lassus weary; cf. alack
Alas is another way to emphatically say “unfortunately.” Perhaps you meant to finish up all your homework last night, but alas, your favorite television show wound up getting your undivided attention instead. Letting out a breathy alas in the middle of your sentence may sound dramatic or old fashioned, but it's actually an excellent way to emphasize extreme bewilderment, regret, concern, or woe. Once an expression of weariness rather than grief, alas stems from the Latin lassus, meaning “tired, weary.” Exclaimed Lord Byron, the English poet, “Alas! The love of women! It is known to be a lovely and fearful thing!”
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Alas, Mr. Powell and his colleagues overcame their hesitation this time and we all got pelted with dots.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026
Alas, that’s not the end of the story.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026
Alas, note at the outset that Beijing itself doesn’t believe the economy is improving.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026
Alas, it was not provided to those of us in the interview room, but the Loews did provide dinner and snacks for us throughout the night.
From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026
Alas, I’m no longer the dreamy boy you’d wave to at the edge of the schoolyard.
From "Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
