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
Grocholski scored 13 of her 16 points in the second half to help the Gophers rebound from a woeful first half.
—
Pioneer Press, Twin Cities, 27 Nov. 2025
From Weeks 13 to 16, all four matchups are against teams in the bottom 10 of the league at preventing fantasy points to tight ends, including two games against the woeful Bengals.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Nov. 2025
On Tuesday night, the Massachusetts Minutemen will try to salvage a speck of pride from a season that has cemented their status as the most woeful FBS program.
—Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 24 Nov. 2025
The Trojans went 11-for-23 from behind the arc, while the Broncos kept firing from distance as well — but were a woeful 5-for-25.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 24 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for woeful
Pioneer Press, Twin Cities, 27 Nov. 2025
From Weeks 13 to 16, all four matchups are against teams in the bottom 10 of the league at preventing fantasy points to tight ends, including two games against the woeful Bengals.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Nov. 2025
On Tuesday night, the Massachusetts Minutemen will try to salvage a speck of pride from a season that has cemented their status as the most woeful FBS program.
—Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 24 Nov. 2025
The Trojans went 11-for-23 from behind the arc, while the Broncos kept firing from distance as well — but were a woeful 5-for-25.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 24 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for woeful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for woeful
Adjective
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This internal struggle is portrayed with raw honesty, focusing on the darker, mournful corners of humanity that inspired the record’s lyrics.—
Robert Lang,
Deadline,
6 Jan. 2026
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Other tracks channel the mournful energy of the most political ’70s dub.—
Andrew Ryce,
Pitchfork,
22 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Everyone's a little sad in The Holdovers, Alexander Payne's charmingly sour comedy about a student stuck at his New England boarding school over the holidays with only his grouchy professor (Paul Giamatti) and the school cook (Da'Vine Joy Randolph) for company.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Nov. 2025
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The 25-year-old wide receiver is sad to see his teammates go, but trusts the vision of the New York front office.—
Matt Audilet,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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In his first interview since the tragic events in May, Cacique, a Spanish nickname given to a local boss, said the turncoats hoped to receive a reward for the capture of Robert Colina, whose alias was Pantera, Spanish for panther.—
Antonio Maria Delgado,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
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Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott joined the rest of his teammates in having a tough day Thursday after learning of the tragic death of defensive lineman Marshawn Kneeland, who took his own life at the end of a police chase in Frisco.—
Nick Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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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
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The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2021
Adjective
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This is a no-win situation because one of us will end up unhappy.—
Jeanne Phillips,
Mercury News,
9 Jan. 2026
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The automaker spent much of the year undoing decisions made by the previous CEO, Carlos Tavares, who resigned at the end of 2024, as stakeholders in the company — from dealers to union rank and file — were upset with him and unhappy with his leadership.—
Liam Rappleye,
USA Today,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Their late concession of the winning penalty to Morgan Gibbs-White, above, was unfortunate.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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Many unfortunate events were blamed on poison—the unexpected death of an enslaver or a slave, a spate of local deaths due to a virus or other disease, or problems on the plantation such as ill livestock or bad harvests.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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After Anna disappeared, Alice was heartbroken.—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
9 Jan. 2026
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A day after the shooting, Chez’s heartbroken parents proclaimed at a press conference outside the 101st Precinct stationhouse in Far Rockaway that their son posed no threat.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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On a tour full of reasons to be miserable, England will leave Australia with at least one ray of light for the future.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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The series centers around Timmy Turner, a miserable 10-year-old whose life improves significantly after he is given two fairy godparents named Wanda and Cosmo.—
Will Harris,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Woeful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/woeful. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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