lamenting

American  

[luh-men-ting] / ləˈmɛn tɪŋ /

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.

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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 Word Forms

• lamentingly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of lamenting

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

He described the situation as "a real mess", lamenting that those who were once hailed as architects of democratic change had become "gravediggers".

From BBC • May 7, 2026

She called herself “kinda done with politics,” lamenting that there was “so much division” in the country.

From Slate • May 6, 2026

"It's ridiculous," he said, lamenting how he has had to cut down on driving.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

Internet threads attracted hundreds of comments lamenting “foggageddon.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026

The woman wasn’t lamenting an old plantation injustice but a crime perpetrated here in South Carolina.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead