woe 1 of 2

interjection

ˈwō How to pronounce woe (audio)
Definition of woenext
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

woe

2 of 2

noun

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

Synonym Chooser

How is the word woe different from other nouns like it?

Some common synonyms of woe are anguish, grief, regret, and sorrow. While all these words mean "distress of mind," woe is deep or inconsolable grief or misery.

cries of woe echoed throughout the bombed city

When is it sensible to use anguish instead of woe?

The meanings of anguish and woe largely overlap; however, anguish suggests torturing grief or dread.

the anguish felt by the parents of the kidnapped child

When is grief a more appropriate choice than woe?

The words grief and woe can be used in similar contexts, but grief implies poignant sorrow for an immediate cause.

the inexpressible grief of the bereaved parents

Where would regret be a reasonable alternative to woe?

While the synonyms regret and woe are close in meaning, regret implies pain caused by deep disappointment, fruitless longing, or unavailing remorse.

nagging regret for missed opportunities

When can sorrow be used instead of woe?

While in some cases nearly identical to woe, sorrow implies a sense of loss or a sense of guilt and remorse.

a family united in sorrow upon the patriarch's death

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of woe
Noun
Beat the winter traffic—or ski-in without the crowds Some of Tahoe’s winter woes are caused by the region’s natural geography. —AFAR Media, 7 Nov. 2025 In his letter, Johnston hinted that Denver’s financial woes are far from over. —Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 7 Nov. 2025 Yet until recently, funding woes threatened to derail the project. —Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Nov. 2025 Accommodation woes are just one example of the chaos and uncertainty some experts say have paved the way to this summit. —Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for woe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for woe
  1. distress
  2. sorrow
  3. agony
  4. anguish
  5. misery
  6. grief
  7. aw
  8. pain
Noun
  • Certain symptoms that signaled addictive food behavior were also more common among women, like inability to decrease intake, greater cravings and distress about their consumption.
    — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 11 Nov. 2025
  • Roughly half of all low-income countries are in or near debt distress, which can significantly exacerbate food insecurity.
    — ARIF HUSAIN, Foreign Affairs, 11 Nov. 2025
Definition of distress
Noun
  • And that's appropriate; coziness and sorrow are not mutually exclusive.
    — Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Nov. 2025
  • Teams and players in the sport expressed sorrow about the news.
    — Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 7 Nov. 2025
Definition of sorrow
Noun
  • Following months of agony and fundraising, Abeba was eventually able to send enough money to pay for her brother Daniel’s release.
    — Mick Krever, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Near those boundaries, microscopic changes in pace or line flip the result, explaining why near-identical putts can alternate between agony and ecstasy.
    — Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
Definition of agony
Noun
  • No adolescent defiance or child’s anguish was visible on his face now.
    — George Packer, The Atlantic, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Some critics called for more editorial discipline in the film, or found Lawrence’s onscreen spin cycle of anguish, which involves literally clawing her way up walls or flinging herself through glass doors, to be repetitive.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 5 Nov. 2025
Definition of anguish
Noun
  • Mamdani, 34, is a charismatic socialist who has limited experience in the private sector and seems utterly unconcerned about his guiding philosophy’s long track record of creating misery.
    — Editorial, Boston Herald, 8 Nov. 2025
  • Beyond the outright annihilation of people and the considerable trauma that brought onto people, leftist regimes inflicted considerable misery in myriad other ways.
    — Sal Rodriguez, Oc Register, 7 Nov. 2025
Definition of misery
Noun
  • Ege, a 31-year-old special education teacher, ended up reaching out to the group Families for Safe Streets, whose members showed up at their apartment shortly after Musyoka’s death to help them through those initial days and weeks of grief.
    — Johnny Dodd, PEOPLE, 8 Nov. 2025
  • We’re largely left to imagine her fears for an uncertain future, her grief for an unknown, unborn child and her thoughts on becoming a symbolic figure in the outside world, with another woman’s name to boot.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
Definition of grief
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
Definition of aw
Noun
  • Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca said after the match that the Argentina international had asked to be substituted due to his pain.
    — Colin Millar, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
  • The red sole is a visible pain endured for the privilege of being seen enduring it.
    — Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 9 Nov. 2025
Definition of pain

Browse Nearby Words

wobbly
woe
woebegone
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Cite this Entry

“Woe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/woe. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.

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