Lament — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

a cry of sorrow and grief

a song or hymn of mourning composed or performed as a memorial to a dead person

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/lɐmˈɛnt/

🇬🇧British English

/lɐmˈɛnt/

🇮🇳Indian English

/lɐmˈɛnt/

2 syllables Say it as /lɐmˈɛnt/.

Examples

their pitiful laments could be heard throughout the ward
we lamented the death of the child
I deplore this hostile action

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

requiem deplore coronach plaint threnody elegy lamentation dirge wail bemoan bewail keen

Parts of Speech

noun	a cry of sorrow and grief “their pitiful laments could be heard throughout the ward”
noun	a song or hymn of mourning composed or performed as a memorial to a dead person
noun	a mournful poem; a lament for the dead
verb	express grief verbally “we lamented the death of the child”
verb	regret strongly “I deplore this hostile action”

Word Forms

lament	verb	express grief verbally
wail	verb	emit long loud cries
elegist	noun	the author of a mournful poem lamenting the dead
elegize	verb	compose an elegy
lament	noun	a mournful poem; a lament for the dead
lamentation	noun	a cry of sorrow and grief
lamenter	noun	a person who is feeling grief (as grieving over someone who has died)
keen	noun	a funeral lament sung with loud wailing
lamentable	adjective	bad; unfortunate

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

Klage

ein Schrei der Trauer und des Kummers

🇫🇷French

complainte

un cri de tristesse et de chagrin

🇪🇸Spanish

lamento

un grito de pena y pena

🇮🇹Italian

lamento

un grido di dolore e di dolore

🇳🇱Dutch

jammeren

een schreeuw van verdriet en verdriet

🇵🇹Portuguese

lamento

um grito de tristeza e pesar

🇷🇺Russian

оплакивать

крик печали и скорби

India

🇮🇳Hindi

विलाप

दुख और शोक की चीख

🇧🇩Bengali

বিলাপ

দুঃখ এবং শোকের একটি কান্না

🇮🇳Tamil

புலம்புகின்றனர்

துக்கம் மற்றும் துயரத்தின் அழுகை

🇮🇳Telugu

విలపిస్తారు

దుఃఖం మరియు దుఃఖం యొక్క ఏడుపు

🇮🇳Marathi

शोक

दु: ख आणि दु: ख एक रडणे

🇮🇳Gujarati

વિલાપ

દુ:ખ અને શોકનું રુદન

🇮🇳Kannada

ಕೊರಗುತ್ತಾರೆ

ದುಃಖ ಮತ್ತು ದುಃಖದ ಕೂಗು

🇮🇳Malayalam

വിലപിക്കുന്നു

സങ്കടത്തിൻ്റെയും സങ്കടത്തിൻ്റെയും നിലവിളി

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਵਿਰਲਾਪ

ਦੁੱਖ ਅਤੇ ਉਦਾਸ ਦੀ ਪੁਕਾਰ

🇵🇰Urdu

نوحہ

دکھ اور غم کا رونا

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

哀叹

悲伤和悲伤的哭泣

🇯🇵Japanese

嘆く

悲しみと悲しみの叫び

🇰🇷Korean

비탄

슬픔과 슬픔의 외침

🇻🇳Vietnamese

than thở

một tiếng kêu đau buồn và đau buồn

🇹🇭Thai

คร่ำครวญ

เสียงร้องแห่งความโศกเศร้าและความโศกเศร้า

🇮🇩Indonesian

meratapi

tangisan kesedihan dan kesedihan

🇵🇭Filipino

managhoy

isang sigaw ng kalungkutan at pighati

🇲🇾Malay

meratap

tangisan kesedihan dan kesedihan

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

رثاء

صرخة حزن وأسى

🇮🇷Persian

ناله

فریاد غم و اندوه

🇹🇷Turkish

ağıt

bir acı ve keder çığlığı

🇮🇱Hebrew

קִינָה

זעקה של צער ויגון

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'lament'?

The primary meaning of 'lament' is 'a cry of sorrow and grief'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'lament' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'lament' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'lament' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'lament' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'lament' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'lament' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'lament' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'lament' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'lament' in a professional email?

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Never

Would you classify 'lament' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

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