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.
The woeful Colorado Rockies moved out 3B Ryan McMahon and relievers Kinley and Jake Bird and took in a handful of prospects, the best of which came over from the Yankees - 2B Roc Riggio (#63) and P Griffin Herring (#140). Tony Blengino, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025 Yet, whether through gross incompetence, woeful indifference, or some combination thereof, that is exactly what is happening right now in Gaza under the leadership of Benjamin Netanyahu and his government. Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 July 2025 Yeah, losing to Northern Illinois and Marshall was bad, but that loss to a woeful Stanford team was a close third for Marcus Freeman. Pete Sampson, New York Times, 11 July 2025 At face value, this lacks the detached, woeful quality of Shelley’s line. The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 10 July 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

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Cite this Entry

“Woeful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/woeful. Accessed 20 Aug. 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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