as in wail
a crying out in grief
there was a great lamentation on Wall Street when the government's latest unemployment figures were published
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Recent Examples of lamentation
The album’s Bandcamp blurb shouts out Ghédalia Tarzatès, the late French composer who collaged his wails and lamentations in the endangered Ladino language to evoke pangs of existential angst.
—
H.d. Angel, Pitchfork, 6 Feb. 2026
The ghetto is full of lamentation.
—Dr. Michael Good, Hartford Courant, 3 Feb. 2026
The space was replete with the repetitive knocking of drumsticks, the undulating rhythm of Qur’anic prayers, and the gut-wrenching murmur of lamentation coming from That is not still (Sesuatu yang tidak berdiam), a 2024 video work about Indonesia’s diverse soundscape.
—Hung Duong, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
The language surrounding Bailey echoes sentiments from the 1990s and early 2000s, when public revelations of a celebrity’s homosexuality often triggered exaggerated lamentations from straight female fans.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lamentation
H.d. Angel, Pitchfork, 6 Feb. 2026
The ghetto is full of lamentation.
—Dr. Michael Good, Hartford Courant, 3 Feb. 2026
The space was replete with the repetitive knocking of drumsticks, the undulating rhythm of Qur’anic prayers, and the gut-wrenching murmur of lamentation coming from That is not still (Sesuatu yang tidak berdiam), a 2024 video work about Indonesia’s diverse soundscape.
—Hung Duong, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
The language surrounding Bailey echoes sentiments from the 1990s and early 2000s, when public revelations of a celebrity’s homosexuality often triggered exaggerated lamentations from straight female fans.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lamentation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lamentation
Noun
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The resulting wail is certainly not kitten-like, sounding more like a cross between a sport bike and a completely uncorked race car.—
Byron Hurd,
The Drive,
29 Apr. 2026
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Mitchell has made the point before that every new technology brings wails that the fish won’t survive.—
Mike McFeely,
Twin Cities,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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McEntire, Stefani and Legend were brought to tears by Carter's emotional performance.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
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Tatum also knows the value of peer support after leaning on players like Tyrese Haliburton, Damian Lillard and Dejounte Murray — all of whom suffered Achilles tears last season — during his recovery.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The mourning and goodbye to my character happened when season five wrapped.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Apr. 2026
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Queen Mary wore another dark blue outfit to the confirmation of her twin children on Saturday, dressing to respect her father's recent death but skipping the traditional black dress associated with mourning.—
Janine Henni,
PEOPLE,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The sinew between Thundercat and Tame Impala is thick and obvious—one reason that Bruner doesn’t need ubiquitous Kevin Parker’s lethargic laments.—
Daniel Felsenthal,
Pitchfork,
7 Apr. 2026
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Though marking Jesus’ painful death, Good Friday ultimately points to Easter resurrection—transforming the day from lament to joy for believers.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In an interview earlier in March with the Yale Alumni Association, Chun admitted to making a mistake that made her cry in her first year as Yale AD.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
22 Apr. 2026
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Gabriela is not used to seeing her mother get emotional, but this made her cry.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
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It’s been splendid watching the weeping and gnashing of teeth from American MAGA supporters.—
Steven Greenhut,
Oc Register,
17 Apr. 2026
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In the hands of the six-piece band, the shivering chords of that miniature apocalyptic soul song build into a cathartic climax, which Wasner punctuates with weeping slide guitar.—
Mitch Therieau,
Pitchfork,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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All these moments are good for audience groans and there’s an enjoyable bad movie here for the seizing — that is when Cronin isn’t steering the action back to Egypt for an underpowered mystery thread involving a one-dimensional Cairo detective (May Calamawy) pursuing the root of the trouble.—
Joshua Rothkopf,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
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The proper response to this is a cynical groan.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Such prices have set off howls of protest from some fans.—
James Rainey,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
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My 2-year-old daughter’s howls of protest echoed through the previously silent forest of towering Norway spruce.—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lamentation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lamentation. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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