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woefulness

noun

Definition of woefulnessnext
as in oppression

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for woefulness
  1. oppression
  2. unhappiness
  3. melancholy
  4. misery
  5. despair
  6. suffering
  7. dreariness
  8. dejection
Noun
  • Can an accurate story of a system of oppression be derived from sources created and preserved by the oppressors?
    — Drew Gilpin Faust, The New York Review of Books, 19 Sep. 2026
  • The influx of immigrants shocked this small town Lockland had for decades been home to a small population of West Africans who’d come to Ohio in the 1990s because of political and racial oppression in Mauritania.
    — Claire Galofaro, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of oppression
Noun
  • The post and later comments arrived two months before the midterm elections, where Americans’ unhappiness with persistent high inflation has been a dominant theme.
    — Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Allen is among several NFL players who have expressed unhappiness with artificial turf.
    — Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of unhappiness
Noun
  • On the one hand, there’s a fascination with collective joy and the forms of vernacular invention that aspire to it; on the other, there’s an underlying melancholy that points to the inevitability of isolation, an epistemology of loneliness.
    — Pablo Larios, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Beneath all the sensuality and beauty, there’s also a lingering melancholy that feels very familiar to me.
    — Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 16 June 2026
Definition of melancholy
Noun
  • Feverish with feeling, the women scream, wail and sob, each one experiencing her misery multiply in real time as the remaining two look on in disdain.
    — Natalia Winkelman, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Giannoulias hasn’t taken a dime from AIPAC — the American Israel Public Affairs Committee — in this campaign, but that didn’t stop the mayor from attempting to tie Giannoulias to the misery in the Middle East.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of misery
Noun
  • Churches are supposed to be off-limits for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but that has meant little to a community that often turns to God and worship in times of despair.
    — Lauren Costantino September 19, Miami Herald, 19 Sep. 2026
  • What follows is an escalation of death and despair for all parties involved.
    — Jourdain Searles, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of despair
Noun
  • The first witch trial in Ireland took place in Kilkenny in 1324, but people who were suspected as sources of suffering have been murdered since prehistory.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
  • It has been used multiple times since then, within and outside of Alabama, drawing scrutiny and criticism from some who have argued the method is poorly understood and likely causes unnecessary suffering.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of suffering
Noun
  • Jonestown afflicted Naipaul’s vision, his way of deciphering not just political manias but the dreariness of urban life, the perpetual doom of the nuclear-arms race.
    — Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 14 July 2026
  • Days shorten, shadows lengthen, and the cold and dreariness of winter return.
    — Thomas A. DuBois, The Conversation, 17 June 2026
Definition of dreariness
Noun
  • Miller’s hands dropped quickly to his side in frustrated dejection.
    — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
  • In the end, Gizelle’s team triumphs, prompting more dejection from Vicki.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of dejection
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

woefully
woefulness
woes
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Cite this Entry

“Woefulness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/woefulness. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

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