as in sadly
with feelings of bitterness or grief
woefully recounted the many injustices that the family had endured at the hands of the dictator
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Recent Examples of woefully
His birdie chances on the 17th and 18th were woefully short on greens where short putts can be scary.
—
CBS News, 23 Feb. 2026
His birdie chances on the 17th and 18th were woefully short on greens where short putts can be scary.
—Dallas Morning News, 22 Feb. 2026
Bittle had some success in the paint, but Oregon continued to shoot woefully, making only 1 of 8 threes (12%) in the second half.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 18 Feb. 2026
Older Americans who want to cover long-term care Many Americans are woefully unprepared for the costs of long-term care, retirement experts say.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 15 Feb. 2026
If democracy is defined by the right of citizens to participate in the decisions that shape their lives, then a system that excludes millions of voters from the most consequential part of the election is falling woefully short.
—Terry Lierman, Baltimore Sun, 10 Feb. 2026
Constance Duffle, a paramedic in Siskiyou County at the Oregon border, serves a vast wilderness region woefully in need of health professionals.
—Christopher Buchanan, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
The renegade group of aldermen who passed the budget against Johnson’s will forced the meeting after Johnson’s administration paid only half of a roughly $260 million advance payment to help fund the city’s woefully underfunded public pensions.
—Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 9 Feb. 2026
The current available single family housing is woefully inadequate to accommodate any major influx of residents.
—Phillip Sitter, Des Moines Register, 3 Feb. 2026
CBS News, 23 Feb. 2026
His birdie chances on the 17th and 18th were woefully short on greens where short putts can be scary.
—Dallas Morning News, 22 Feb. 2026
Bittle had some success in the paint, but Oregon continued to shoot woefully, making only 1 of 8 threes (12%) in the second half.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 18 Feb. 2026
Older Americans who want to cover long-term care Many Americans are woefully unprepared for the costs of long-term care, retirement experts say.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 15 Feb. 2026
If democracy is defined by the right of citizens to participate in the decisions that shape their lives, then a system that excludes millions of voters from the most consequential part of the election is falling woefully short.
—Terry Lierman, Baltimore Sun, 10 Feb. 2026
Constance Duffle, a paramedic in Siskiyou County at the Oregon border, serves a vast wilderness region woefully in need of health professionals.
—Christopher Buchanan, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
The renegade group of aldermen who passed the budget against Johnson’s will forced the meeting after Johnson’s administration paid only half of a roughly $260 million advance payment to help fund the city’s woefully underfunded public pensions.
—Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 9 Feb. 2026
The current available single family housing is woefully inadequate to accommodate any major influx of residents.
—Phillip Sitter, Des Moines Register, 3 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for woefully
Adverb
-
Western civilization has created incredible innovation and achievements, while sadly slavery and colonialism will always be a part of history.—
U T Readers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Short term, the answer is, sadly, yes.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
8 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Behind the front, bitterly cold Arctic air filters back into the area.—
Andrew Kozak,
CBS News,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Since October last year, Russia has intensified its drone and missile attacks on the Ukrainian energy system, knocking out electricity and heat and plunging millions of Ukrainians into long blackouts during bitterly cold winter temperatures.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Tarun would tease her, and my mother would look sorrowfully toward Kavitha, as if the two of them now shared some womanly burden.—
Madhuri Vijay,
New Yorker,
16 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
Changing styles every other year The lack of a clear playing identity since Pochettino left has been painfully obvious.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
28 Feb. 2026
-
The human cost is painfully clear; our parents and grandparents cycle in and out of hospitals, receiving reactive medicine that chases one condition after another rather than addressing the underlying cause.—
Andrew S. Brack,
Time,
26 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Dallas Lincoln's Jada Patterson (24) drives hard to the basket during first quarter action against Fredericksburg.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Sustaining success is assuredly much harder.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Woefully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/woefully. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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