woeful

1 of 2

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

woefulness

2 of 2

noun

woe·​ful·​ness

variants or less commonly wofulness

plural -es

: the quality or state of being woeful

Synonyms of woeful

Adjective

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

Examples of woeful in a Sentence

Adjective

The puppy had woeful eyes.

The student's grades were woeful.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Mike Trout presumably has witnessed every possible blooper, blunder and boo-boo in 16 seasons with the woeful Angels. —Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026

But a woeful showing on the offensive line last year helped doom the Gamecocks, who went 4-8 overall and 1-7 in the SEC. —Sam Khan Jr, New York Times, 2 June 2026

The Dodgers romped through a weekend at Angel Stadium, scoring 31 runs in what amounted to live batting practice against the Angels’ woeful pitching staff. —Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 19 May 2026

For all of his woeful obsession with numbers, this is the reason anyone ever streamed his music and actually listened. —Jayson Greene, Pitchfork, 18 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

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