LAMENTATIONS Synonyms: 27 Similar and Opposite Words

lamentations

noun

Definition of lamentations

plural of lamentation

as in wails

a crying out in grief there was a great lamentation on Wall Street when the government's latest unemployment figures were published

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of lamentations These rock lamentations will not be carried over to the full-length album the band still has in the works, which Bono promises will have a more joyful tone. — Chris Willman, Variety, 18 Feb. 2026 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 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 The previous two Jennings collaborations — 2024’s The Fear of Standing Still and 2020’s Lamentations — are two of Barham’s personal favorites in his entire catalog. — Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 20 Oct. 2025 An artwork from the series Wall of Lamentations by Santiago Montoya that was on view in March at Halcyon Gallery, in London. — Harper’s Magazine, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025 There have been lamentations about the end of an era and anxiety in the fan and creative communities about the risk of over-exploitation of the British super-spy. — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 26 Feb. 2025 The van pulled into the street, and the crowd followed, muttering lamentations. — Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for lamentations

Noun

Mourners beat their chests rhythmically in the intense summer heat, the wails of women cutting through the noise as the body of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was unveiled beneath a glass case at the Grand Mosalla.

— Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 4 July 2026
After a second of consideration, Naim slams the grate shut to the monster’s wails, and the audience’s relief.

— Arushi Jacob, Variety, 19 June 2026

Definition of wails

Noun

These developments prompted more cries of outrage, including one from the Democratic senator Mark Warner, who has introduced a bill that would ban social-media companies from selling fast access to accounts of government employees.

— John Cassidy, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
That kind of front-loading also gives parents a buffer if a child freezes up, cries or needs an extra hug before heading out.

— Ashley Lynch, Miami Herald, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of cries

Noun

An underwhelming and nearly green-less teaser first dropped back in March to the enormous groans of Green Lantern faithful everywhere.

— Jeff Spry, Space.com, 16 Aug. 2026
Not long afterward, witnesses heard groans and heavy breathing as the spiritual adviser put her hands on his shoulders and prayed over him.

— CBS News, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of groans

Noun

Their chorus of howls and yowls was all that kept them connected to the hunters who lagged far behind.

— Paul Schullery, Outdoor Life, 13 Aug. 2026
Somewhere in the heated mist hovered the howls of Albert Ayler and the clarion call of his brother Donald’s trumpet, followed by the Ornette Coleman Quartet, saluting him with joyous cacophony.

— Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 21 July 2026

Definition of howls

Noun

In the decades after his death, Johnson’s loose playing and harrowing moans set American music on a path that would encompass Chuck Berry, Bob Dylan, even Nas.

— Steven Johnson, Washington Post, 14 July 2026
Sweet tweets, soft moans, the distant caw of a shore bird piloting toward the sea, spirited and hopeful, daylight already breaking through.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 July 2026

Definition of moans

Browse Nearby Words

lamentation

lamentations

lamented

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Lamentations.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lamentations. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of lamentations

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on lamentations

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

expeditious

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes