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
For those woefully behind, deploying an executive force could level the playing field.
—
Dean Trevelino, Forbes.com, 12 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
In the next 111 seconds of game time, the Cavaliers outscored the Raptors 10-0, with Nogueira looking woefully out of place.
—Eric Koreen, New York Times, 27 May 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
Dean Trevelino, Forbes.com, 12 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
In the next 111 seconds of game time, the Cavaliers outscored the Raptors 10-0, with Nogueira looking woefully out of place.
—Eric Koreen, New York Times, 27 May 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 sadly, this effort is being affected in a negative manner by neighboring counties.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 June 2026
-
The prestige of the truly élite colleges will, sadly, not change all that much.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
9 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 effect of Gaza on these particular swing voters lingers painfully in the thoughts of Harris’s most ardent supporters.—
Ta-Nehisi Coates,
Vanity Fair,
15 June 2026
-
Tuesday night’s theme was painfully redundant for the Giants (27-41).—
Cam Inman,
Mercury News,
10 June 2026
Adverb
-
AccuWeather Director of Forecasting Operations Carl Erickson told last week that parts of southern West Virginia and southwestern Virginia were socked harder than initially predicted during Friday's storm.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Dec. 2025
-
Saudi Arabia is betting hard on solar energy, but its water resources — needed to cool data centers — are scarce, dousing the idea in doubt.—
Tasmin Lockwood,
CNBC,
9 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Woefully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/woefully. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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