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
Production on season one had fallen woefully behind schedule, as whole episodes were scrapped, scripts were written at the eleventh hour and producers, including Bell, began second-guessing the series’ tone.
—
Lacey Rose, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2025
Even well into the 1930s, America’s defense machinery was woefully lacking, especially in the critical transport of material and personnel.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 17 Oct. 2025
These methods, while less exacting, are also woefully undemocratic, allowing lawmakers to act independently from and against the interests of the American public.
—Big Think, 10 Oct. 2025
Cope is woefully unprepared for the physical rigor of boot camp, but fully invested in making it to graduation.
—Kristen Tauer, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2025
This means that housing is woefully out of reach for many of my patients.
—Sarah Stella, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2025
Blanket statements about boundaries are woefully inadequate because the contexts of our relationships matter.
—Margeaux Feldman, Time, 7 Oct. 2025
Daniels, the union president, said his controllers have dealt with a woefully understaffed air traffic control system for years.
—Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2025
Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Department of Justice will be appealing the ‘woefully insufficient’ sentence for the would-be assassin of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
—Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
Lacey Rose, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2025
Even well into the 1930s, America’s defense machinery was woefully lacking, especially in the critical transport of material and personnel.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 17 Oct. 2025
These methods, while less exacting, are also woefully undemocratic, allowing lawmakers to act independently from and against the interests of the American public.
—Big Think, 10 Oct. 2025
Cope is woefully unprepared for the physical rigor of boot camp, but fully invested in making it to graduation.
—Kristen Tauer, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2025
This means that housing is woefully out of reach for many of my patients.
—Sarah Stella, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2025
Blanket statements about boundaries are woefully inadequate because the contexts of our relationships matter.
—Margeaux Feldman, Time, 7 Oct. 2025
Daniels, the union president, said his controllers have dealt with a woefully understaffed air traffic control system for years.
—Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2025
Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Department of Justice will be appealing the ‘woefully insufficient’ sentence for the would-be assassin of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
—Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for woefully
Adverb
-
Ambiguity fuels risk, and risk, sadly, often fuels the potential for escalation.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Rae sadly died in 2018 after being diagnosed with bone cancer.—
Michele Corriston,
PEOPLE,
2 Nov. 2025
Adverb
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The federal government shutdown enters its 21st day – headed toward its fourth week – as Democrats and Republicans remain bitterly divided over how to resolve rising health care costs.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Taylor makes a persuasive case for how artists can grow, if incrementally and maybe bitterly, amid so much numbing digital noise.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
When cases do move forward, justice is often partial and painfully slow, with proceedings stretching on for years and often failing to bring those ultimately responsible to justice.—
Scott Griffen,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Even if inflation was falling, prices were still rising – just more slowly, and from painfully high levels.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
4 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
There’s nobody who works harder than Cristobal.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
3 Nov. 2025
-
And even harder, the task ahead for that leader.—
Stephen J. Nesbitt,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Woefully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/woefully. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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