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
Although Beijing has outcompeted Washington in Myanmar up to this point, the junta’s woefully incompetent management of its currency and foreign reserves presents an opportunity for the United States to recalibrate its approach to the country.
—
Dan Swift, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2025
A lot is unstructured, in disparate places and woefully underused.
—Munil Shah, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Meanwhile, Glushon said city leaders, including Bass, aren't doing enough to address the concerns of Encino residents, saying the LAPD is woefully understaffed.
—Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Aid groups have raised alarm about woefully inadequate shelter, sanitation, water and food in Muwasi.
—Wafaa Shurafa, Arkansas Online, 7 Sep. 2025
This does afford Jolie the chance to share a few scenes with the great Vincent Lindon as a concerned doctor, but otherwise her plot is woefully light on specifics, on anything that might define Maxine’s particular reaction to this terrible news.
—Richard Lawson, IndieWire, 7 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
Dan Swift, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2025
A lot is unstructured, in disparate places and woefully underused.
—Munil Shah, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Meanwhile, Glushon said city leaders, including Bass, aren't doing enough to address the concerns of Encino residents, saying the LAPD is woefully understaffed.
—Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Aid groups have raised alarm about woefully inadequate shelter, sanitation, water and food in Muwasi.
—Wafaa Shurafa, Arkansas Online, 7 Sep. 2025
This does afford Jolie the chance to share a few scenes with the great Vincent Lindon as a concerned doctor, but otherwise her plot is woefully light on specifics, on anything that might define Maxine’s particular reaction to this terrible news.
—Richard Lawson, IndieWire, 7 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for woefully
Adverb
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In the Western Conference, sadly, a Joker alone won’t be enough to win the pot.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
30 Sep. 2025
-
That is sadly the position Princess Beatrice finds herself in after the recent scandals her mother, Sarah Ferguson, and her father, Prince Andrew, have been embroiled in.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
29 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
Joe Garcia spoke bitterly about the decline of governance on both sides of the Straits of Florida.—
Jon Lee Anderson,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
-
At the start of the season, the Braves lost seven in a row, setting the tone for a bitterly disappointing campaign.—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
My day in court is painfully overdue.—
Brenton Blanchet,
PEOPLE,
30 Sep. 2025
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Previously, the story followed Zagreus, the painfully cool son of Hades who spent his days making a break for the surface world to escape the overbearing grip of his father.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
27 Sep. 2025
Adverb
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Nobody worked harder in practice, and that became contagious to his teammates.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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The best curtains on Amazon are hard-working pieces of home decor.—
Shoko Wanger,
Architectural Digest,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Woefully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/woefully. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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