woeful

adjective

woe·​ful ˈwō-fəl How to pronounce woeful (audio)
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 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.
The Bears have been woeful on the road under Eberflus with a 3-16 record. Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune, 23 Oct. 2024 Until recently there has been a woeful lack of focus in the US on similar pedestrian protection from automobiles. Carlton Reid, WIRED, 15 Oct. 2024 That Ryan pitched himself into the position of being a possible solution for the Dodgers in less than a handful of major-league starts is a statement about how woeful the injury issues have been and how promising Ryan’s arsenal makes him. Fabian Ardaya, The Athletic, 10 Aug. 2024 Related Articles Ducks’ woeful homestand continues with loss to Wild Ducks shake things up in search of scoring Yet the Golden Knights’ title defense was far from seamless and included losses in three of four meetings with the Ducks last season, all by multiple goals. Andrew Knoll, Orange County Register, 12 Nov. 2024 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

Dictionary Entries Near woeful

Cite this Entry

“Woeful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/woeful. Accessed 7 Dec. 2024.

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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