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
But something has gone woefully wrong at Bollinger’s research vessel programs.
—
Craig Hooper, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Yet Haiti remains shamefully overlooked and woefully underfunded.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2025
Steven Vanderporten, an attorney representing Schlep, adds that such changes were woefully overdue.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 25 Aug. 2025
Well, hard as this may be to believe, the president’s description of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture falls woefully short of accuracy — especially in comparison to his remarks at the museum’s opening in 2017.
—Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2025
There’s no way of knowing if any of these changes will work, but Daboll had to try something different after woefully slow starts to the past two seasons.
—Dan Duggan, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
Her attorney, Maya Green, said Wei was woefully ill-equipped to do the work MSU had her doing.
—David K. Li, NBC news, 18 Aug. 2025
Its army is woefully inadequate, having no proper tanks and little to effectively resist the largest military in history.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 12 Aug. 2025
The Red Sox looked woefully outmatched by teams built to go the distance.
—Gabrielle Starr, Hartford Courant, 3 Aug. 2025
Craig Hooper, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Yet Haiti remains shamefully overlooked and woefully underfunded.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2025
Steven Vanderporten, an attorney representing Schlep, adds that such changes were woefully overdue.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 25 Aug. 2025
Well, hard as this may be to believe, the president’s description of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture falls woefully short of accuracy — especially in comparison to his remarks at the museum’s opening in 2017.
—Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2025
There’s no way of knowing if any of these changes will work, but Daboll had to try something different after woefully slow starts to the past two seasons.
—Dan Duggan, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
Her attorney, Maya Green, said Wei was woefully ill-equipped to do the work MSU had her doing.
—David K. Li, NBC news, 18 Aug. 2025
Its army is woefully inadequate, having no proper tanks and little to effectively resist the largest military in history.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 12 Aug. 2025
The Red Sox looked woefully outmatched by teams built to go the distance.
—Gabrielle Starr, Hartford Courant, 3 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for woefully
Adverb
-
The fates of so many were decided on the 1969 day when a dashing and sadly underestimated 25-year-old Colonel Qaddafi seized power from the monarchy in a matter of hours and promised a new golden era, inspired by Egypt’s President Nasser.—
Leila Latif,
IndieWire,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Several months after sadly losing her childhood cat in 2023, Hannah Powell felt ready to open her heart to a rescue cat in need of a home.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
Tom’s final epiphany related to his estranged son isn’t earned, but not because of Ruffalo; his performance cuts a fine line between bitterly self-destructive and warmly spiritual.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
-
San Francisco officials fought bitterly against Waymo and now-defunct Cruise robotaxis from General Motors, after their vehicles repeatedly blocked traffic and emergency vehicles, with Cruise the main perpetrator.—
Ethan Baron,
Mercury News,
5 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
Noah Baumbach’s painfully incisive portrait of a family divorce among a remarkably prickly family of Brooklyn intellectuals finds so many ways to showcase its characters’ most brittle sides.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
29 Aug. 2025
-
There was a recognition Amorim’s predecessors had assembled a painfully lopsided squad, while the club had lacked a football structure since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in May 2013.—
Dan Cancian,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Adverb
-
That looks like a different Caleb Williams to me, so Ben Johnson's coached him hard this offseason.—
Matthew Couden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Sep. 2025
-
The mixer's bowl boasts a distinctive walnut shade and wood grain pattern, and its food-safe seal means the bowl works hard (and looks good doing it).—
Ella Field,
Better Homes & Gardens,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Woefully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/woefully. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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