lamentable

[luh-men-tuh-buhl, lam-uhn-tuh-] / ləˈmɛn tə bəl, ˈlæm ən tə- /

ADJECTIVE

upsetting, miserable

Synonyms

STRONGEST

calamitous deplorable dire distressing grievous grim lousy pitiful sad tragic unfortunate unsatisfactory woeful wretched

WEAK

afflictive awful bad dirty doleful dolorous god-awful heartbreaking hurting low lugubrious meager mean melancholy mournful plaintive poor regretful rotten rueful sorrowful stinking unfavorable

Antonyms

STRONGEST

blessed cheerful comforting excellent fortunate glad good great happy joyful lucky nice wonderful

WEAK

cheering satisfactory

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.

"Local police and Spain's Civil Guard have begun investigating to try to clear up this lamentable event, in which everything points towards a robbery," read the post.

From Barron's • Jan. 20, 2026

And in this case in particular, for a lamentable reason.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 3, 2024

“I have no intention of using such a lamentable situation for political reasons,” said López Obrador.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 31, 2024

Some of them are plodding, while others put on full display the lamentable labor conditions that still dog much of the industry today.

From Slate • Sep. 6, 2023

If people the world over wanted to go crazy, that was their affair, however lamentable.

From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey

Vocabulary lists containing lamentable

"Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King, Jr. (1963)

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Romeo and Juliet

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A Midsummer Night's Dream

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