adjective
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wretched, deplorable, or distressing
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an archaic word for mournful
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of lamentable
1400–50; late Middle English < Latin lāmentābilis, equivalent to lāmentā ( rī ) ( see lament) + -bilis -ble
Explanation
Something that's lamentable is unfortunate. If your basketball team gets defeated in the final game, you could call it a lamentable way for the season to end. Something that's not satisfactory can be described as lamentable, like a high school art room equipped with only crayons and construction paper. A person's inappropriate behavior could also be considered lamentable — whether it's the cruel words of a bully or your lack of preparation for an important speech. The Latin word lamentationem is at the root of lamentable, and it means "wailing, moaning, or weeping." If a situation is bad enough to make you cry, it's lamentable.
Vocabulary lists containing lamentable
"Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King, Jr. (1963)
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Romeo and Juliet
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A Midsummer Night's Dream
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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.
That is the real and lamentable story of Batson.
From Slate ● Jun. 17, 2026
"I see it as a very lamentable dereliction of duty and of ambition and of focus and I would like to see next Welsh government change that," she said.
From BBC ● Apr. 26, 2026
"Local police and Spain's Civil Guard have begun investigating to try to clear up this lamentable event, in which everything points towards a robbery," read the post.
From Barron's ● Jan. 20, 2026
“I have no intention of using such a lamentable situation for political reasons,” said López Obrador.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 31, 2024
Terrance expressed annoyance at the overseer’s lamentable handwriting but apart from that the men got along amiably.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
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.
