alas

interjection

ə-ˈlas How to pronounce alas (audio)
Definition of alasnext
as in boo
used to express sorrow or distress Juliet's pitiful lament, "alas, poor Romeo, he is already dead!"

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 alas On that question, alas, my fears turned out to be right. — Joshua Yaffa, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025 Or that putting some measures in place to combat bias and nepotism (which is what good diversity and inclusion interventions do, but alas most don’t) is, like any attempt to change the status quo, an assault on meritocracy. — Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025 If the shorts themselves aren’t always memorable, the issues, alas, will remain. — Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Feb. 2025 Brave New World, alas, is not a movie anybody would aspire to make, at least in its current condition. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 12 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for alas

Browse Nearby Words

alarums and excursions
alas
albatross
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Alas.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alas. Accessed 28 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on alas

Nglish: Translation of alas for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

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

Words You Always Have to Look Up

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
burrowing owl athene cunicularia tilts its head outside its burrow on marco island florida
Guess the Curious Origins of These Everyday Words Oh, that’s where that comes from…
See All