1
as in mournful
expressing or suggesting mourning
the woeful expressions of the players after the humiliating loss
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 hard-throwing Venezuelan shut out woeful Washington over 5 2/3 innings on Wednesday night.
—
Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 19 June 2025
But Ehlers might block one of San Jose’s power forward prospects, and Ekblad would be a serious upgrade for a woeful defense.
—Scott Powers, New York Times, 14 June 2025
Put it this way: The Predator plays like the sort of woeful franchise restart that the characters in a Shane Black script would make fun of.
5.
—Will Leitch, Vulture, 9 June 2025
Interim Kings coach Doug Christie was pleased with the way his team responded against the Hornets after suffering a dispiriting loss to the woeful Washington Wizards on Wednesday.
—Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 5 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for woeful
Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 19 June 2025
But Ehlers might block one of San Jose’s power forward prospects, and Ekblad would be a serious upgrade for a woeful defense.
—Scott Powers, New York Times, 14 June 2025
Put it this way: The Predator plays like the sort of woeful franchise restart that the characters in a Shane Black script would make fun of.
5.
—Will Leitch, Vulture, 9 June 2025
Interim Kings coach Doug Christie was pleased with the way his team responded against the Hornets after suffering a dispiriting loss to the woeful Washington Wizards on Wednesday.
—Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 5 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for woeful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for woeful
Adjective
-
Once abundant on the island, this ground-foraging dove – with an earthy red-brown plumage and a quiet, mournful call – disappeared from the wild by 1972.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
5 July 2025
-
Several of her patients left mournful messages on the Yelp page of her Arcadia practice.—
Clara Harter
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
4 July 2025
Adjective
-
That's the sad reality facing many dogs in the wider shelter system.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 July 2025
-
The sad thing is, some people actually believe him.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
11 July 2025
Adjective
-
As images continue to emerge, USA TODAY is asking anyone willing to share photos or video of the tragic aftermath to submit them here.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
8 July 2025
-
What remains, then, is a growing list of tragic lessons.—
Alexander Puutio,
Forbes.com,
8 July 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
-
That's become a new line of attack for the Trump administration, which is already unhappy with the Fed for not moving more aggressively to lower interest rates.—
Scott Horsley,
NPR,
14 July 2025
-
Speculation is that Ferrari is unhappy with Vasseur's performance, although these rumors have been shut down by Vasseur, Lewis Hamilton, and Charles Leclerc.—
Saajan Jogia,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 July 2025
Adjective
-
Instead, like so many unfortunate accidents since cell phones were invented, this was caused by a distracted driver.—
Anne Marie D. Lee,
CBS News,
14 July 2025
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Fortunately for him, that gaffe will be a little easier to live down than Teal and Weinberg’s unfortunate comments.—
Krista Kafer,
Denver Post,
12 July 2025
Adjective
-
Raymond Cheadle, Honesty’s great-uncle, told WUSA the family, including the girl’s dad, is heartbroken.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
11 July 2025
-
Pepe has the power to make two heartbroken Islanders immediately forget about their old connections.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
10 July 2025
Adjective
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For now, this is DeVries on the job: intent but measured, teeth ready to clamp down on his tongue, establishing standards while also very much trying to make sure his team isn’t miserable from the beginning.—
Brian Hamilton,
New York Times,
11 July 2025
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His Panthers opened the season with two miserable losses, complete with booing from fans in the home opener, and the 23-year-old soon became the first quarterback selected No. 1 overall in the Super Bowl era to be benched for non-injury reasons.—
Eric Jackson,
Sportico.com,
7 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Woeful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/woeful. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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