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.
A day after losing to the woeful Pacers in Indianapolis on Sunday night, the Heat returned to Miami and defeated a healthy 76ers team on Monday for just its second win in nearly three weeks. Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 31 Mar. 2026 UConn celebrated a 73-72 win emphatically, with Mullins the major hero after a game of woeful team shooting from three-point range. Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026 The session on Friday marked the end of a woeful week for the major stock indexes. Max Zahn, ABC News, 27 Mar. 2026 Covered for the ignominy of his historically woeful four-for-51 hitting performance. Los Angeles Times, 27 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 1 Apr. 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

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