as in boo
used to express sorrow or distress
ah, woe, with the death of the last of my siblings I am alone in this world!
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in distress
a state of great suffering of body or mind
a tale of misery and woe
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sorrow
deep sadness especially for the loss of someone or something loved
the incessant woe that has haunted her since the death of her husband
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of woe
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
23 June 2026
But as the district grapples with growing financial woes, more Chicago schools have leaned on parent fundraising, rental income, cell tower revenue and more to pay for essentials, including staffing.
—
Mila Koumpilova,
Chicago Tribune,
22 June 2026
Kirk was fixated on the economic woes of young people.
—
Eliza Griswold,
New Yorker,
22 June 2026
Visor is the company set up by Jordan Levine after his Yale Entertainment was discontinued following financial woes.
—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
22 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for woe
Noun
Approval and economic woes The polling numbers, released on June 22 come only days after Trump saw similar low marks in a poll released by PBS News/NPR/Marist on June 18.
—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
23 June 2026
But as the district grapples with growing financial woes, more Chicago schools have leaned on parent fundraising, rental income, cell tower revenue and more to pay for essentials, including staffing.
—
Mila Koumpilova,
Chicago Tribune,
22 June 2026
Kirk was fixated on the economic woes of young people.
—
Eliza Griswold,
New Yorker,
22 June 2026
Visor is the company set up by Jordan Levine after his Yale Entertainment was discontinued following financial woes.
—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
22 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for woe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for woe
Interjection
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In the north of the British Isles, people sometimes combined ye, a second person plural pronoun for you, along with aw, meaning all.
-
And then … aw, just cue up the video player for the epic Francisco Lindor homer that won this thing!
Noun
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The Hoffmans are suing Boelter for assault, battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
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Not to mention smoking hot Hart Bochner as the himbo-in-distress.
Noun
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Parting is such sweet sorrow, but these guys aren’t going gently into the night just yet.
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These silences, heavy with sorrow, then adorn the beloved like precious jewels, conveying the idea that only a profound grief can beget such beauty.
Interjection
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Like the catchphrase to the Wide World of Sports broadcast that first enthralled Hunt with the World Cup, this was the essence of the thrill of victory contrasting, alas, with the agony of defeat.
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What remains — what seems, alas, less obsolete — is the hate.
Noun
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The agony of Sudan runs deep; its history is crisscrossed with blood.
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Or at least movies about soccer can, engaging with themes of race and gender, ego, hubris, economics, politics, fandom, the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat — as well as, of course, unadulterated athleticism.
Noun
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Their mother cried out in anguish.
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Meanwhile, hundreds remained missing, leading to a wave of anguish among relatives and friends.
Noun
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The episodes seemed to wallow in Carmy’s misery, along with the frustrations of everyone around him.
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That’s a recipe for in-flight misery.
Noun
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In all of them, Sugar sees the human spirit persisting through layer upon layer of loneliness, carnage, and grief.
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By the time the credits roll, Kara is forced to confront the grief she's spent years trying to outrun, Ruthye faces a life-defining choice and the film plants the seeds for the next chapter of the DC Universe.
Cite this Entry
“Woe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/woe. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
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