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

Neither Maine candidate responded to requests for comment on their beloved team’s woeful performance. — Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 1 Oct. 2026

Tampa Bay's woeful offense couldn't do much against coordinator Brian Flores' defense. — CBS News, 27 Sep. 2026

Leeds hammered woeful Newcastle 4-1 to go third in the Premier League on Monday while Real Betis won 2-1 at Villarreal to move equal on points with second-place Real Madrid in La Liga. — ABC News, 14 Sep. 2026

The woeful run defense and pass rush didn’t prevent them from making a run in the playoffs last season. — Kevin Fishbain, New York Times, 11 Sep. 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