lamented
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of lamented
Explanation
Use the adjective lamented to talk fondly about someone who's died. You might describe your favorite elementary school teacher as "my dear lamented Mrs. McGinty." Lamented is often used in the phrase "late lamented," which implies that the person you're talking about is dead and that you really miss him or her. Inanimate objects can also be lamented, like the neighborhood book shop that closed, or a magazine you used to read that is no longer in print. The root Latin word is lamentationem, which describes wailing, moaning, and weeping.
Vocabulary lists containing lamented
Much Ado About Nothing
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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
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This Week In Culture: May 31–June 5, 2020
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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.
This has been whispered about and lamented since the COVID-19 pandemic led to temporary theater closures across the country that have since become permanent, but it is rare to hear it expressed so candidly.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
They lamented the lack of public transportation options, then marveled at Waymo.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
Zelensky himself lamented that the two sides were barely on speaking terms.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
Rowlinson lamented that "hundreds" of people had been displaced, adding that many locals had offered spare rooms, bars and restaurants.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
To Merle Tuve he had lamented an “epidemic of trouble, connected with raising the power output.”
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
