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
Such are the restrictions of a woefully outdated NCAA bylaw that mandates a two-year transition period during which reclassifying programs are ineligible for postseason play.
—
Tom Layberger, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026
The economics of the NBA, his team and their competitors, though, could be setting him up to be woefully undercompensated again.
—Dan Woike, New York Times, 15 June 2026
For starters, Kentucky is a powerhouse program in a different sport (basketball) much in the same way that the United States dominates other sports while being woefully behind the other world powers in soccer.
—Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 10 June 2026
Our public schools, particularly in poorer school districts, are woefully underfunded.
—Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2026
American midsize trucks like the Toyota Tacoma and Ford Ranger can be woefully under-specced for carrying heavy work loads or campers and overlanding gear.
—C.c. Weiss
may 21, New Atlas, 21 May 2026
But this year’s increase will almost entirely net out next fiscal year with a one-time cut of $25 million to generate savings for the woefully over-budget Medicaid program.
—Katy Golvala, Hartford Courant, 16 May 2026
Under its current leadership, customer service has fallen woefully short.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2026
As this was an unprecedented case in which league officials participated in the deception, the remedy is woefully inadequate.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 3 May 2026
Tom Layberger, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026
The economics of the NBA, his team and their competitors, though, could be setting him up to be woefully undercompensated again.
—Dan Woike, New York Times, 15 June 2026
For starters, Kentucky is a powerhouse program in a different sport (basketball) much in the same way that the United States dominates other sports while being woefully behind the other world powers in soccer.
—Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 10 June 2026
Our public schools, particularly in poorer school districts, are woefully underfunded.
—Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2026
American midsize trucks like the Toyota Tacoma and Ford Ranger can be woefully under-specced for carrying heavy work loads or campers and overlanding gear.
—C.c. Weiss
may 21, New Atlas, 21 May 2026
But this year’s increase will almost entirely net out next fiscal year with a one-time cut of $25 million to generate savings for the woefully over-budget Medicaid program.
—Katy Golvala, Hartford Courant, 16 May 2026
Under its current leadership, customer service has fallen woefully short.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2026
As this was an unprecedented case in which league officials participated in the deception, the remedy is woefully inadequate.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 3 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for woefully
Adverb
-
But there are glimmers of hope, particularly after the first two (sadly) table-setting episodes, that there is some honest-to-goodness storytelling momentum here.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
21 June 2026
-
This is sadly part of a larger trend by the mayor in putting his movement ahead of the best interests of his constituents.—
Bradley Tusk,
New York Daily News,
20 June 2026
Adverb
-
That leaves the volatile Joanne feeling shut out and bitterly resentful.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
16 June 2026
-
The German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, desperate to connect with the grandeur of antiquity and left bitterly disappointed by his visit to Rome, eventually arrived in this once-vibrant center of the extended Greek empire.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 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
-
The Battle of Karbala — where a grandson of the Prophet Mohammad died defying tyranny — feels painfully present for residents of Nabatieh as Israel continues to occupy southern Lebanon.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
22 June 2026
-
Iranian officials are also painfully aware that their country was bombed during previous periods of negotiations with the US since the war that broke out in late February.—
Lou Robinson,
CNN Money,
19 June 2026
Adverb
-
In heat waves, Aid stations could be hard-pressed to manage everyone affected.—
Arthur L. Kellermann,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
-
Add liquid ingredients and ice, seal and shake hard.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
20 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Woefully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/woefully. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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