alas
interjection
(used as an exclamation to express sorrow, grief, pity, concern, or apprehension of evil.)
alas
1 American
[uh-las, uh-lahs]
/ əˈlæs, əˈlɑs /
interjection
Alas.
2
American
abbreviation
alas
1
British
/ əˈlæs /
interjection
Alas.
2
British
abbreviation
Etymology
Origin of alas
1225–75; Middle English < Old French ( h ) a las!, equivalent to ( h ) a ah + las wretched < Latin lassus weary; cf. alack
Explanation
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!”
Vocabulary lists containing alas
"Sympathy" by Paul Laurence Dunbar
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Selection Vocabulary 2, Unit 1
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4-letter words, List 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Hmm, alas, we’re not sure what the U.S. got in return.
From Slate ● Jul. 25, 2026
This is the case even if you have the Patreon app, which I downloaded in hopes it would get around the PDF, but alas.
From Salon ● May 12, 2026
Just a month after he dropped “Lonely,” Bieber returned to his teen-idol woes — far less movingly, alas — in this dreary duet with Shawn Mendes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2026
All of which leaves me sounding, alas, like a broken record.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 11, 2026
Outside, I am within a few yards of a liquor store, a bar that advertises “free beer tomorrow,” a convenience store, and a Burger King—but no supermarket or, alas, Laundromat.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
“And I’m not. My breakfast date is with Mr. Charles Cheese. Alas. Can it wait till Monday?”
From "Turtles All the Way Down" by John Green
Alas. good ladies! was there none that sued For their release, before we took't in hand?
From A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 6 by William Carew Hazlitt
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.
