as in to mourn
to feel or express sorrow for
he invariably spends more time bewailing his predicament than trying to fix it
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Recent Examples of bewail
Israel has bewailed each nation’s announcement, claiming that their gesture is only emboldening Hamas and prolonging the war by showing there are benefits to be gained through terrorism like that carried out on Oct. 7.
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Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 11 Aug. 2025
The grandmother would flee, and Billy would smite his chest and in Old Testament tones bewail his sinful life.
—Werner Herzog, The New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2023
Among progressives, the same people who bewail the influence of corporations on cultural and political life also propose to entrench the social role of big businesses by making individual Americans more dependent on them for everything from health care to retirement income.
—Kevin D. Williamson, National Review, 13 May 2021
Trump’s critics bewailed the outcome as a defeat and a betrayal of our Kurdish allies.
—Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2019
Understandably, promoters and artist representatives have long bewailed the enormous profits being made on the secondary market, which takes none of the risk and puts up none of the funding — and shares none of its profits — for major live events.
—Variety, The Mercury News, 24 July 2019
Across the country, North and South, Christians gathered in their churches to remember the crucifixion of Christ and to bewail their sins, which made such a sacrifice necessary.
—Jonathan Den Hartog, WSJ, 26 Apr. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bewail
Verb
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By evening, hundreds were there for a vigil to mourn the death and urge the public to resist immigration enforcers.—
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And as the university mourns Ward’s death, Self helped to put the win in perspective.—
Verb
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At the same time, however, political parties could play a role in restoring trust by calling out their own, increasing their own accountability by lamenting real offenses among their own members.—
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Advocates, people working in the criminal justice system and community members have lamented its closure since.—
Cite this Entry
“Bewail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bewail. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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