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woeful

adjective

ˈwō-fəl How to pronounce woeful (audio)
Definition of woefulnext
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 woeful After a woeful June, one that had even the club’s most fervent supporters hovering their hands over panic buttons, the Braves have burst out of the All-Star break with vengeance on offense. — Chad Bishop, AJC.com, 20 July 2026 Jordan, after all, ended his career on some woeful Washington Wizards teams. — Anthony Bettin, CBS News, 1 July 2026 Mike Trout presumably has witnessed every possible blooper, blunder and boo-boo in 16 seasons with the woeful Angels. — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026 This is troubling because the aura and confident air of the AI can lead them down woeful paths. — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 2 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for woeful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for woeful
  1. mournful
  2. sad
  3. tragic
  4. weeping
  5. unhappy
  6. unfortunate
  7. heartbroken
  8. miserable
Adjective
  • Tender Loving Care is a gentle, mournful, funny portrait of a family whose future is shadowed by uncertainty but tries to face life with cheeriness.
    — Joe Reid, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Part of it was the circumstances of his death and the mournful public procession through Brooklyn.
    — Jeff Weiss, HollywoodReporter, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of mournful
Adjective
  • However — here is the gold dust — the perfect blend is gay AND sad.
    — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Top Plays from Broncos @ Chiefs Perhaps the only solace for the Broncos after a season of sky-high expectations opened with a flop is those sorts of sad adjectives belonged to everyone.
    — Nick Kosmider, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of sad
Adjective
  • This season of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City starts off on an incredibly somber note, given the tragic passing of Mary Crosby’s son, Robert Jr.
    — Tom Smyth, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2026
  • That is not to excuse the recklessness behind the wheel which could feasibly have led to a more serious, potentially tragic incident on the M25 and M3 motorways.
    — Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of tragic
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
Definition of weeping
Adjective
  • But when an oblong ball hits the turf, there’s often an equal chance the other team will recover, so Harbaugh was predictably unhappy with his team’s four fumbles against Dallas.
    — Dan Duggan, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • There's also the daunting task of keeping young conservatives engaged at a time when many of them are unhappy with party leaders.
    — Elena Moore, NPR, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of unhappy
Adjective
  • That is the unfortunate part of a tenure full of expansion, media-rights billions and two transformational collective bargaining agreements.
    — Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Moore and his allies are presenting gerrymandering as an unfortunate response to an acute political crisis, but trying to gerrymander Maryland in favor of Democrats is far from a new effort.
    — Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of unfortunate
Adjective
  • Wright State University President Sue Edwards said the school community was heartbroken.
    — Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Micah’s life was taken far too soon, leaving his family, friends, teammates, and community heartbroken.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of heartbroken
Adjective
  • But this sleekly miserable noir about the aftermath of a feckless man’s confrontation with his wife’s younger lover transports the stuff of archetype into Putin’s Russia.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 14 Sep. 2026
  • The higher the price of gas goes, the more miserable Republicans become, and the more bettors see the Dems winning.
    — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of miserable

Browse Nearby Words

woebegone
woeful
woefully
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Cite this Entry

“Woeful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/woeful. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.

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