lament

[luh-ment]

verb (used with object)

1. to feel or express sorrow or regret for.

   to lament his absence.

   Synonyms: deplore, bemoan, bewail

2. to mourn for or over.

   Synonyms: deplore, bemoan, bewail

verb (used without object)

1. to feel, show, or express grief, sorrow, or regret.

   Synonyms: weep, grieve

2. to mourn deeply.

   Synonyms: weep, grieve

noun

1. an expression of grief or sorrow.

   Synonyms: moan, lamentation

2. a formal expression of sorrow or mourning, especially in verse or song; an elegy or dirge.

   Synonyms: threnody, monody

lament

/ ləˈmɛnt /

verb

1. to feel or express sorrow, remorse, or regret (for or over)

noun

1. an expression of sorrow

2. a poem or song in which a death is lamented

Other Word Forms

• lamenter noun
• lamentingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of lament¹

First recorded in 1520–30; (noun) from Latin lāmentum “plaint”; (verb) from Latin lāmentārī, derivative of lāmentum

Word History and Origins

Origin of lament¹

C16: from Latin lāmentum

Example Sentences

Hairdresser Fariba Aghai, 44, was delighted to see a woman take up the baton at the orchestra, lamenting that women singers still can't perform at concerts or publish their own songs.

Read more on Barron's

But several member states, notably the United States and France, lamented that the Council had not gone farther.

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Complaints about the change have cropped up on social media, with users lamenting the switch based on perceptions that Discover might not be widely accepted.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Ms. Low laments that “while gender roles converged in the workplace, they did not converge at home” because men don’t do enough chores.

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Fed officials, including Fed Chair Jerome Powell, economists, and investors have repeatedly lamented in recent months the dearth of official economic data used to make policy decisions.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• bemoan 
• deplore 
• regret