woeful

adjective

woe·​ful ˈwō-fəl 

variants or less commonly woful

1

: full of woe : grievous

woeful prophecies

2

: involving or bringing woe

3

: lamentably bad or serious : deplorable

woeful ignorance

woefully

ˈwō-f(ə-)lē 

adverb

woefulness

ˈwō-fəl-nəs 

noun

Synonyms of woeful

• mournful
• weeping
• heartbroken
• funeral
• bitter
• lamentable
• grieving
• wailing
• sad

Examples of woeful in a Sentence

The puppy had woeful eyes.

The student's grades were woeful.

Recent Examples on the Web

Chicago missed 10 shots and had five turnovers during the woeful stretch. —CBS News, 3 Apr. 2026

Manager Craig Counsell said last week that the woeful ERAs in Arizona shouldn’t be a reason for alarm. —Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026

The Heat turned it around in 24 hours, earning a quality home victory in Miami after suffering one of its worst losses of the season in a 17-point defeat to the woeful Pacers in Indianapolis on Sunday night. —Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 31 Mar. 2026

UConn celebrated a 73-72 win emphatically, with Mullins the major hero after a game of woeful team shooting from three-point range. —Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for woeful

• toefl
• woful

Kids Definition

woeful

adjective

woe·​ful ˈwō-fəl 

1

: full of woe

a woeful tale

2

: involving or bringing woe

a woeful occurrence

3

: pitifully bad

woeful ignorance

woefully

-f(ə-)lē 

adverb

woefulness

-fəl-nəs 

noun