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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 Leeds hammered woeful Newcastle 4-1 to go third in the Premier League on Monday while Real Betis won 2-1 at Villarreal to move equal on points with second-place Real Madrid in La Liga. — ABC News, 14 Sep. 2026 The woeful run defense and pass rush didn’t prevent them from making a run in the playoffs last season. — Kevin Fishbain, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026 Green Bay’s pass rush could be woeful without the star edge rusher. — Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 2 Sep. 2026 Although when seen up close or for prolonged periods, the digital dinos are remarkably bland and unimpressive — I was reminded of the notoriously bad CGI in the woeful Ray Bradbury movie A Sound of Thunder (2005). — Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 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
  • Unfortunately, the disembodied feet on my aunt’s staircase were my last spectral sighting and the mournful whistling was my last haunting.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Oct. 2026
  • The One About Matthew Perry, a three-part docuseries, out October 27 on Netflix, is more of a celebration of celebrate Perry’s life instead of a mournful tribute or true crime drama about his death and the headline-making trial that followed.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of mournful
Adjective
  • Anyway, this Jive is unfortunately lacking in both energy and sharp footwork and is generally kind of sad, but Maura and Mark still manage to get 8s.
    — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2026
  • The company’s intention is probably to leverage nostalgia to build hype for Nintendo’s big launch, but there’s also something a little sad about this.
    — Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of sad
Adjective
  • The trio also discussed the mental turmoil among Latino youth, highlighting the recent tragic suicides of Samuel Gonzalez Terrones and Xavier Nungaray-Martinez.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2026
  • The boom in vaccine-preventable outbreaks, cases, and tragic deaths is being fueled by slipping vaccination rates nationwide as health misinformation and anti-vaccine sentiments have taken hold.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 3 Nov. 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
  • The electorate is frustrated and unhappy Voters were sour heading into Tuesday, with the midterm electorate deeply unhappy with the country’s direction and pessimistic about the future, according to The AP Voter Poll.
    — Jill Colvin, Chicago Tribune, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Voting is the only way out for anyone who’s unhappy with a government headed toward authoritarianism.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of unhappy
Adjective
  • The unfortunate truth is, most of them have lowered their standards in admissions and education.
    — Ian Kingsbury, Sun Sentinel, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Just ask this unfortunate Alaskan bear recently spotted with several multi-foot long tapeworms hanging out of its butt.
    — Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of unfortunate
Adjective
  • The victim’s heartbroken father said his son had been bullied by a couple of students at the school who were recently suspended — and believes the bullying may have something to do with Javits’ murder.
    — Julian Roberts-Grmela, New York Daily News, 1 Nov. 2026
  • The death of Sir Patrick Stewart has left Hollywood heartbroken as his co-stars, colleagues, and fellow actors recall rare encounters, days on set, and priceless advice the acting legend shared with them.
    — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of heartbroken
Adjective
  • Those are only a few of the questions surrounding the team's miserable start to the season.
    — Sean Joseph OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Kim Se Yun described the constant surveillance when abroad and at home as miserable and utterly asphyxiating.
    — Jieun Baek, Foreign Affairs, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of miserable

Browse Nearby Words

woebegone
woeful
woefully
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Woeful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/woeful. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

The Words of the Week - Nov. 6

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All