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
  • Sheriff’s officials sad Damico, who had personal ties with Canata, claimed to be his power of attorney but was unable to provide any correlating paperwork or a will to verify such statements.
    — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 10 Nov. 2026
  • The musical comedy has earned Moore raves on the festival circuit for her role as a sad suburban homemaker turned anxious aspiring actress in a New Jersey community theater.
    — Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 9 Nov. 2026
Definition of sad
Adjective
  • The tragic killing sparked local protests and urgent calls from community members to end youth violence and bullying.
    — Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 11 Nov. 2026
  • Faced with a hole in her life in the shape of her lifelong best friend after a tragic accident, Minnie forms a tight bond with the girl’s British stay-at-home mother, Helen (Sophie Okonedo, luminescent here), mourning on her own.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 9 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 Panthers were immediately unhappy, asking for a defensive pass interference.
    — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 9 Nov. 2026
  • The family of Harry Gampel is unhappy with the name change to Gampel Pavilion.
    — Kels Dayton, Hartford Courant, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of unhappy
Adjective
  • Before that, the Broncos were a major beneficiary of an unfortunate series of events in the third quarter.
    — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 8 Nov. 2026
  • As the state no longer holds a monopoly on the tools—nor the data—used to keep us safe, an opaque gap between the private and public sectors has opened where unfortunate, and even tragic, events can transpire.
    — David Niccolini, Forbes.com, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of unfortunate
Adjective
  • The heartbroken dad wasn’t home when the child fell out the window.
    — Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 5 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
  • Mazel tov to Wallace, but for my money, the biggest moment on this miserable, rainy family holiday is the revelation that Nanny Marie has been with the Webbs since the beginning.
    — Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Once flights became frequent, the noise made people miserable.
    — IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 4 Nov. 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 14 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'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

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

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'
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

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Nov. 13

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
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
speech-bubble-untangle
Simplify The Convoluted Expression Quiz A quiz that’s as “uncomplicated as a round de...
See All