1
as in mournful
expressing or suggesting mourning
the woeful expressions of the players after the humiliating loss
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sad
feeling unhappiness
never saw a more woeful-looking bunch than those campers sitting there in the drenching rain
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in tragic
of a kind to cause great distress
the restaurant patron made the woeful discovery that he had left his wallet at home
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of woeful
The Miami Dolphins got steamrolled on Sunday afternoon by the Indianapolis Colts, and head coach Mike McDaniel wasted no time shouldering the blame for the woeful performance.
—
Hunter Mulholland, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025
Each episode includes the woeful word in place of another.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
The memories, still fresh, both woeful and wonderful, came rushing back.
—Theoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 28 Aug. 2025
Improving this woeful reality is challenging, and schools aren’t well-positioned to be everything to everyone.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for woeful
Hunter Mulholland, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025
Each episode includes the woeful word in place of another.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
The memories, still fresh, both woeful and wonderful, came rushing back.
—Theoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 28 Aug. 2025
Improving this woeful reality is challenging, and schools aren’t well-positioned to be everything to everyone.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for woeful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for woeful
Adjective
-
The atmosphere at Charlie Kirk's memorial in Glendale, Arizona, is anything but mournful.—
Amanda Castro
Mandy Taheri
Peter Aitken,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Sep. 2025
-
So mournful the distant owl in Black Brooks.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
One purveyor of fairy tales that wasn’t afraid of a sad ending?—
Elisabeth Sherman,
Parents,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Sade Bess, a Combs fan from Brooklyn, left the court’s overflow observation room looking both sad and relieved.—
Jennifer Peltz,
Fortune,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
This film largely focuses on Desai’s story – including a tragic twist at the end of his life.—
Catherine E. Shoichet,
CNN Money,
4 Oct. 2025
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She's also found ways for students to help in tragic circumstances before.—
John Wisely,
Freep.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.—
David Mamet,
National Review,
11 Aug. 2022
-
The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2021
Adjective
-
Smart, much like Georgia’s fan base, is pretty unhappy after yet another loss to Alabama.—
Seth Emerson,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
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While there are reasons to be unhappy with the performance, each win in the NFL is hard to get.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
All the rest are likely to shine in movies by good directors, and most actors whose reputations aren’t illustriously artistic have mainly been unfortunate in their collaborations.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Irish butter may now an internationally marketable commodity, but in Swift’s day, the Irish peasantry fought back against their replacement by cattle by maiming and driving the unfortunate cattle off cliffs.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The most painful part, the tragedy of our lives, was that Brenda was heartbroken.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
30 Sep. 2025
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This isn't the first time the internet has been left heartbroken when a dog didn't want to play.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The same goes for Treinen, who endured a miserable September, allowing 12 runs (10 earned) in 9 1/3 innings.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
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And so, a miserable team performance was cemented into a 26-21 loss, the team’s first of the year.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Woeful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/woeful. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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