as in boo
used to express sorrow or distress
ah, woe, with the death of the last of my siblings I am alone in this world!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in distress
a state of great suffering of body or mind
a tale of misery and woe
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sorrow
deep sadness especially for the loss of someone or something loved
the incessant woe that has haunted her since the death of her husband
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of woe
Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 17 June 2025
It’s been a season of legal woes for former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.
—Max Kim, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2025
The company has struggled after a string of woes including declining revenue, leadership challenges and losing its market share to rivals like Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Arm Holdings.
—Rashi Shrivastava, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025
Initial claims are ticking higher, but the level is not exhibiting a strong uptrend or one consistent with economic woes.
—Bill Stone, Forbes.com, 8 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for woe
Noun
Brown embroiled in controversy Since 2007, the Super Bowl champion wide receiver has been enmeshed in a litany of bizarre on-field incidents and off-field controversies, some of which led to legal woes.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 17 June 2025
It’s been a season of legal woes for former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.
—Max Kim, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2025
The company has struggled after a string of woes including declining revenue, leadership challenges and losing its market share to rivals like Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Arm Holdings.
—Rashi Shrivastava, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025
Initial claims are ticking higher, but the level is not exhibiting a strong uptrend or one consistent with economic woes.
—Bill Stone, Forbes.com, 8 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for woe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for woe
Interjection
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Williams also recalled witnessing the Super Bowl crowd boo Taylor Swift when she was shown on the jumbotron cheering on her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
17 Apr. 2025
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Highlights include a costume parade (for kids and parents), a Purim story and boo Haman and songs.—
Linda McIntosh,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Mar. 2024
Noun
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To add insult to injury, distress at work has been linked to a decrease in innovative work behavior, meaning all that destructive stress ultimately may yield less inspiring work.—
Drew Gerber,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
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The Tennessee law, like Idaho’s, centers on medical care for transgender youth that addresses gender dysphoria, or feelings of distress when a person’s body or presentation doesn’t match their gender identity.—
Nicole Blanchard,
Idaho Statesman,
19 June 2025
Noun
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Not the murder, not the arrival of the addicted sister, but the removal of the boy that has been at the core of so much sorrow and betrayal between the sisters.—
Antonia Blyth,
Deadline,
20 June 2025
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That haunting blend of sorrow and defiance shaped us.—
Nazanin Boniadi,
Time,
17 June 2025
Noun
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But playing with an already-strained right calf, the Oshkosh, Wis., native stepped awkwardly towards the basket and crumbled to the court in agony when his leg appeared to pop.—
Sean Neumann,
People.com,
24 June 2025
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Finding alternatives that would end this agony would be one of American science’s most important achievements.—
Rachel Fobar,
Vox,
14 May 2025
Noun
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Drawing heavily from Qiu’s biography, My Father’s Son centers on an 18-year-old protagonist, Qiao, who loses his voice while attempting to deliver the eulogy at his father’s funeral and flees in anguish.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
19 June 2025
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Many of us watch in anguish as our compatriots abandon their homes, desperate for a safe haven beyond the reach of oppression and destruction.—
Nazanin Boniadi,
Time,
17 June 2025
Noun
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Humidity is adding to the misery Oppressive humidity is accompanying the heat wave, according to Weather.com meteorologist Jonathan Erdman.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
25 June 2025
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Cuomo, age 67 and one of the last powerful men to succumb to the #MeToo movement, is an unlikely standard-bearer for a Democratic Party desperate to move on from the miseries of the past decade, but New York politics isn’t famous for its uncomplicated options.—
Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
17 June 2025
Noun
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This is twilight music, played at the edge of grief and grace.—
Philip Martin,
Arkansas Online,
19 June 2025
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Turning him off like a machine was, to the innies, their first experience of grief, of a death in their family.—
Katcy Stephan,
Variety,
18 June 2025
Interjection
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Studies of fathers have generated some alarmist headlines over the years, and Hrdy has kindly collated them: no dad joke: fatherhood shrinks the brain; aw, nuts!—
Dan Piepenbring,
Harper's Magazine,
30 Mar. 2024
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And then … aw, just cue up the video player for the epic Francisco Lindor homer that won this thing!—
Jayson Stark,
The Athletic,
27 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Woe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/woe. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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