Words / C1

l-uh-MENT/ləˈment/

To lament is to express sadness or disappointment: lament a loss, lament the fact that. A lament is also a noun (a song or speech of grief). Complain and mourn are everyday cousins; lament is more formal or literary. Do not lament a cut you then vote for.

Meaning

To express sadness or disappointment about something.

Examples

• “They lamented the dropout rate and still cut the night bus.”
• “Mourn is for death and serious loss. Complain is everyday. A lament (noun) can be a poem. Lamentable means very bad. Performative sorrow in the minutes is not a budget line.”

Good to know

Mourn or complain of (formal). Noun: a lament. Everyday: mourn / complain. Adjective: lamentable. Voting for the cut while lamenting it is theatre.

Near in meaning

mourn

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