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.
Burks finished with 22 points and Fulks had 10 points for a UCF team that shot a woeful five for 16 (31%) from the free-throw line and was 27 for 72 from the floor (38%). Jon Marks, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2026 The rebuilding Minnesota Twins likely won’t be a factor and the woeful Chicago White Sox still have a long way to go. Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 21 Mar. 2026 Criminal justice advocates point to a woeful lack of medical and mental health resources for vulnerable people in the community and failures by jails to care for them once behind bars. Dallas Morning News, 19 Mar. 2026 The Chaparrals shot a woeful 13% (2 of 15) in the first half and trailed 26-10 at the break. Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Mar. 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 26 Mar. 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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