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
Aaliyan Mohammed, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025
In both cases, the story is about a wealthy young woman who plays matchmaker for the people in her life while facing romantic woes of her own.
—Lia Beck, EW.com, 25 June 2025
Veteran goalie John Gibson and one-time cornerstone Zegras, both of whom had their own injury woes, have had their names circulated in trade rumors on what feels like a daily basis, but there’s no clear impetus to move either.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 19 June 2025
The Pacers’ early woes were compounded when guard Tyrese Haliburton went down awkwardly while driving the ball to the rim in the first quarter and appeared to come up favoring his right calf.
—Kevin Dotson, CNN Money, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for woe
Noun
Adding his bat to the middle of the Yankees' lineup could go a long way in fixing their offensive woes.
—Aaliyan Mohammed, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025
In both cases, the story is about a wealthy young woman who plays matchmaker for the people in her life while facing romantic woes of her own.
—Lia Beck, EW.com, 25 June 2025
Veteran goalie John Gibson and one-time cornerstone Zegras, both of whom had their own injury woes, have had their names circulated in trade rumors on what feels like a daily basis, but there’s no clear impetus to move either.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 19 June 2025
The Pacers’ early woes were compounded when guard Tyrese Haliburton went down awkwardly while driving the ball to the rim in the first quarter and appeared to come up favoring his right calf.
—Kevin Dotson, CNN Money, 17 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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Buildings continue to fall into economic distress because of government’s housing policies.—
Alva Badillo,
New York Daily News,
29 June 2025
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In line with these ideas, researchers published findings in 2023 that showed that meditation increased people’s concern for the suffering of others—and that, by comparison, people without this practice were more oriented to their own distress.—
Mariah G. Schug,
Scientific American,
27 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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To date, Operation UNITED has resulted in 33 positive identifications of people whose disappearance had left family members in anguish.—
Michael Kaplan,
CBS News,
16 June 2025
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Even so, the movie’s forceful visual shocks (executed mostly with practical effects) are easier to bear than its restlessly mounting anguish.—
Jeannette Catsoulis,
New York Times,
29 May 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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After the trial and sentencings, a noose of grief tightened around the DuFresne family.—
Mary Jane Gibson,
Rolling Stone,
29 June 2025
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An unlikely victim Pam has been a grief counselor and a high school dean.—
Laura Trujillo,
USA Today,
27 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 8 Jul. 2025.
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