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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.
On Tuesday night, the Massachusetts Minutemen will try to salvage a speck of pride from a season that has cemented their status as the most woeful FBS program. Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 24 Nov. 2025 The Trojans went 11-for-23 from behind the arc, while the Broncos kept firing from distance as well — but were a woeful 5-for-25. Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 24 Nov. 2025 Darnell Washington is facing a Bengals defense that has been woeful against tight ends this season. Jacob Camenker, USA Today, 16 Nov. 2025 From Weeks 13 to 17, all five matchups are against teams in the bottom half of the league at preventing fantasy points to tight ends, including two games against the woeful Bengals. Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Nov. 2025 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 2 Dec. 2025.

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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