woeful

adjective

woe·​ful ˈwō-fəl How to pronounce woeful (audio)
variants or less commonly woful
Synonyms of woefulnext
1
: full of woe : grievous
woeful prophecies
2
: involving or bringing woe
3
: lamentably bad or serious : deplorable
woeful ignorance
woefully adverb
woefulness noun

Examples of woeful in a Sentence

The puppy had woeful eyes. The student's grades were woeful.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Instead, after 38 games with the woeful New York Jets, he was traded to Carolina, where Darnold started 17 games before too many losses and injuries contributed to losing a quarterback competition to Baker Mayfield in 2022. Andrew Greif, NBC news, 26 Jan. 2026 Interestingly enough, Stafford’s passing yardage totals have gone down in the past few weeks – from that 457-yard game against Seattle to 269 in a loss in Atlanta, followed by 259 in a comeback victory over the woeful Arizona Cardinals in the final regular-season game. Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 24 Jan. 2026 But the Islamic Republic is ultimately to blame for calls for regime change, given its decades-long intransigence to demands for reform, its crackdown on dissidents, and its woeful economic mismanagement and corruption. Nahid Siamdoust, The Atlantic, 23 Jan. 2026 The Heat cooled a bit, but the woeful Kings (12-32) never had enough to make a serious push in the second half. Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 21 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for woeful

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of woeful was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Woeful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/woeful. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.

Kids Definition

woeful

adjective
woe·​ful ˈwō-fəl How to pronounce woeful (audio)
1
: full of woe
a woeful tale
2
: involving or bringing woe
a woeful occurrence
3
: pitifully bad
woeful ignorance
woefully adverb
woefulness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on woeful

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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