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
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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
Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 11 Sep. 2025
Proponents have responded that the mine would create jobs and offer a local source of sand needed for construction, an especially valuable resource at a time when supply chain woes have helped drive up the cost of housing.
—Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Sep. 2025
Dave Roberts laid his bullpen woes bare.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
Not only has his presidency exacerbated the cost-of-living woes and political alienation that Le Pen and her allies thrive on, but his various attempts to assuage concerns over their most important cause—opposition to immigration—have backfired spectacularly.
—Cole Stangler, Time, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for woe
Noun
Maizy ends up meeting convincing city slicker Gordy (played by Quinn VanAntwerp), who senses the opportunity to take these small town’s woes and turn them into cash.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 11 Sep. 2025
Proponents have responded that the mine would create jobs and offer a local source of sand needed for construction, an especially valuable resource at a time when supply chain woes have helped drive up the cost of housing.
—Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Sep. 2025
Dave Roberts laid his bullpen woes bare.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
Not only has his presidency exacerbated the cost-of-living woes and political alienation that Le Pen and her allies thrive on, but his various attempts to assuage concerns over their most important cause—opposition to immigration—have backfired spectacularly.
—Cole Stangler, Time, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for woe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for woe
Noun
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Those with suicide ideation might attempt suicide, but these attempts often represent a desire to escape distress as opposed to end-of-life issues.—
Eric Wood,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
-
In Pennsylvania, lawmakers have still not broken out of the impasse, spelling financial distress for schools and counties that rely particularly heavily on state funding.—
Isabella Volmert,
Fortune,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
View each period of pain, sorrow, and struggle as a natural precursor to your inevitable growth.—
Mark Murphy,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Similarly, fellow country artists such as the Dixie Chicks, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill expressed their sorrow over his passing.—
Lynsey Eidell,
People.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Hank, having already experienced life-changing failure, is also able to absorb beatings that would destroy most people, endure the agony, and leap back into action.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
28 Aug. 2025
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The buddy story ended in agony when it was revealed that Edwards was on the list and complicit in the ambush plot.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
28 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Rather than let his boy be torn apart by terrible creatures in the mist, David uses a gun to mercy-kill them all and screams in anguish because there isn't a bullet left for him.—
James Grebey,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
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While Cherry is more versed at keeping her rage simmering just below the surface, Laura struggles to hide her anguish and disgust, which alarms those closest to her.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The Industrial Revolution brought widespread misery in the form of brutal factory working conditions.—
P.E. Moskowitz
September 11,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
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The era [or error] is close to an end, so do your best to enjoy the final moments, recall all the good times before misery and depression sets in.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Meanwhile, the headphones, meant to unify the audience in a shared soundscape, instead isolate viewers into their glowing silos, which feels like an ironic choice for a show supposedly about communal grief.—
David Hochman,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
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Devastation and grief coursed through the building, where the president and his aides were in a state of shock.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
Interjection
-
In the north of the British Isles, people sometimes combined ye, a second person plural pronoun for you, along with aw, meaning all.—
Bill Chappell,
NPR,
16 July 2025
-
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
Noun
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The result is a universal film about the cyclicality of trauma and healing, about how people who’ve experienced trauma often choose to help others rather than confront their own pain—and the toll that can take.—
Travis Bean,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
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These recent cost-of-living gyrations, however, don’t mitigate the financial pain of the worst bout of inflation in four decades.—
Jonathan Lansner,
Oc Register,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Woe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/woe. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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