deplorable; alarming; lamentable
A formal, somewhat literary expression used to describe a situation or fact that is deeply regrettable or cause for serious concern. Often appears in news or commentary.
It is truly a deplorable situation that such an accident has occurred again.
若者の投票率の低下は憂うべき傾向である。
The decline in voter turnout among young people is an alarming trend.
Variant using 愁 (distress, lament); less common and may carry a slightly more literary or sorrowful nuance.
From the classical verb 憂う (うれう, 'to grieve, to worry') + the classical auxiliary べき (indicating obligation or propriety). The form 憂うべき is a fossilized classical expression meaning 'ought to be grieved over' or 'should be lamented'.