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

Sebastian himself has a neutral rating on PayPal’s stock, lamenting some strategic choices that failed to pan out, in his view.

From MarketWatch

We see Shahverdi give a speech to a hall of women, lamenting how girls as young as 11 are married and giving birth.

From BBC

More than anything, he wants to enjoy the time he has left instead of lamenting over missed opportunities.

From Los Angeles Times

Carmona recently penned an op-ed in the Arizona Daily Star, lamenting “a series of avoidable missteps in messaging, coordination, and tone from senior departmental leadership.”

From The Wall Street Journal

He chose that particular name because “it conjured up someone old-fashioned and bad-tempered lamenting the state of the world through the window of a London club while clutching his glass of port.”

From The Wall Street Journal