—used to express unhappiness, pity, or concern
Life, alas, is too short.
Examples of alas in a Sentence
Interjection
Juliet's pitiful lament, “alas, poor Romeo, he is already dead!”.
Recent Examples on the Web
John Hollinger, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
Points that needed to be elaborated on more as the process went along but, alas, weren’t.
—Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 12 Apr. 2025
Audiences in Vietnam, alas, haven’t had that chance.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2025
There are some questions in political life, alas, that can’t be fudged.
—Neal B. Freeman, National Review, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for alas
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.
Interjection
Also, my Defensive Player of the Year above might not even be the best defender in his own family; alas, Detroit’s Ausar Thompson was ineligible after his recovery from a blood clot prevented his being cleared for the first 18 games.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
Points that needed to be elaborated on more as the process went along but, alas, weren’t.
—Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 12 Apr. 2025
Audiences in Vietnam, alas, haven’t had that chance.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2025
There are some questions in political life, alas, that can’t be fudged.
—Neal B. Freeman, National Review, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for alas
Cite this Entry
“Alas.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alas. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
alas
interjection
—used to express unhappiness, pity, or concern
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share