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.
Power-play push The Lightning started the game 0 for 3 on the power play, running their woeful man-advantage run to 1 for 35 over the past 12 games. Eduardo Encina, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Apr. 2026 That and other violations of food safety caused a woeful Wednesday at Meat Eatery and Taproom, and Party Cake. David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 13 Apr. 2026 Chicago missed 10 shots and had five turnovers during the woeful stretch. CBS News, 3 Apr. 2026 Manager Craig Counsell said last week that the woeful ERAs in Arizona shouldn’t be a reason for alarm. Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 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

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Cite this Entry

“Woeful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/woeful. Accessed 22 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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