lamenting

[luh-men-ting]

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.

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of lamenting¹

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

A lot of tennis fans are also licking their lips about seeing Sinner and Alcaraz going head-to-head again - and lamenting it will not happen again for at least another couple of months.

Read more on BBC

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

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

Coach Joe Torres spoke impassioned, with tears rolling down his cheek after the game, lamenting the officials “taking the game” from his team.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Spending the next 10 years lamenting Madigan’s potential snub would be nothing more than reductive, implying that her work is only worthy if it’s awarded by stuffy voters who maintain little respect for horror, anyway.

Read more on Salon