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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of woeful
The session on Friday marked the end of a woeful week for the major stock indexes.
—
Max Zahn, ABC News, 27 Mar. 2026
Covered for the ignominy of his historically woeful four-for-51 hitting performance.
—Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026
The rebuilding Minnesota Twins likely won’t be a factor and the woeful Chicago White Sox still have a long way to go.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 21 Mar. 2026
Criminal justice advocates point to a woeful lack of medical and mental health resources for vulnerable people in the community and failures by jails to care for them once behind bars.
—Dallas Morning News, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for woeful
Max Zahn, ABC News, 27 Mar. 2026
Covered for the ignominy of his historically woeful four-for-51 hitting performance.
—Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026
The rebuilding Minnesota Twins likely won’t be a factor and the woeful Chicago White Sox still have a long way to go.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 21 Mar. 2026
Criminal justice advocates point to a woeful lack of medical and mental health resources for vulnerable people in the community and failures by jails to care for them once behind bars.
—Dallas Morning News, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for woeful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for woeful
Adjective
-
Then, in the Andante movement, the upper strings opened with a glassy sound before the mournful line of the cello entered.—
Sheila Regan,
Twin Cities,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Over the years, humpback whale songs have been recorded for human listening, with many describing the songs as having a haunting, mournful quality.—
Patrick Whittle,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
And there is a beautiful human element to it that is kind of, at its core, a little sad.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
9 Apr. 2026
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The vlogger Jordan Cheyenne, for one, wrecked her sharenting career by accidentally posting footage of herself coaching her son, who was distraught over the family’s sick puppy, to make a specific kind of sad face for YouTube.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Lying in this crypt is Nathan Lane’s Willy Loman, a tragic humbug, his delusions contradicted by the ruins around him.—
Hilton Als,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2026
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These are films that reflect the human condition through inspirational tales of struggle, tragic true stories, life-threatening conflicts, and intimate psychological portraits.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Apr. 2026
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
-
Auriemma was apparently unhappy with the officiating in the game and the disparity in free throw shooting.—
Lori Riley,
Hartford Courant,
4 Apr. 2026
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Despite the changes, some in the Senate were still unhappy with the final iteration.—
Keely Doll,
Louisville Courier Journal,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The Russian ambassador to Libya hung out in my room, as did a Russian kid named Konstantin with an unfortunate stutter and endearing affection for the American rock band Metallica.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
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The film is a Hulu release, continuing the rather unfortunate trend of comedy no longer being the box office powerhouse it once was.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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She was implicated in the case, with heartbroken Karadec handling her booking himself.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
7 Apr. 2026
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Joe heads back downstairs and Irene looks… heartbroken.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Wagler led the Illini with 20 points, but Illinois shot a miserable 34% (19 of 56) from the field and 23% (6 of 26) from 3-point range.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
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Porter Martone capped a fantastic first week in the NHL with a power-play goal in the NHL to put the Philadelphia Flyers even closer toward ending a miserable playoff drought with a 2-1 overtime victory over the Boston Bruins on Sunday.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Woeful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/woeful. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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