as in pains
a state of great suffering of body or mind
a tale of misery and woe
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of woes
The Kansas Jayhawks played through shooting woes and turnovers to beat UCF 56-35 in the first round of the Big 12 Women’s Basketball Tournament on Wednesday evening at T-Mobile Center.
—
Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2026
Massachusetts continues to grapple with early literacy woes and school budget cuts but its students once again have topped the nation on Advanced Placement exams.
—State House News Service, Boston Herald, 4 Mar. 2026
The primary problem with Dallas’ recent offensive woes lies in being down several rotation players.
—Mike Curtis, Dallas Morning News, 4 Mar. 2026
Last summer, the school laid off thirty staffers, citing budget woes.
—News Desk, Artforum, 2 Mar. 2026
The bar’s named was changed from The Bullpen Bar to The Oak Tavern as part of the makeover, but not before his financial woes were described as blowing through $14 million in career earnings and taking a $250,000 loan from his parents.
—Jessica Hill, Chicago Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026
Miami is still a long way from fixing its traffic and public transportation woes, but there may be a credible solution on the horizon — electric flying taxis.
—Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2026
David Harbour and Jason Bateman star as Floyd and Clark, a pair of co-workers turned friends who get caught up in using a new dating app as a way to combat their woes about being middle-aged.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
Executives have blamed the brand’s woes on young people cutting back on going out to eat and a tough economic climate that has hurt the restaurant industry.
—Bloomberg, Daily News, 26 Feb. 2026
Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2026
Massachusetts continues to grapple with early literacy woes and school budget cuts but its students once again have topped the nation on Advanced Placement exams.
—State House News Service, Boston Herald, 4 Mar. 2026
The primary problem with Dallas’ recent offensive woes lies in being down several rotation players.
—Mike Curtis, Dallas Morning News, 4 Mar. 2026
Last summer, the school laid off thirty staffers, citing budget woes.
—News Desk, Artforum, 2 Mar. 2026
The bar’s named was changed from The Bullpen Bar to The Oak Tavern as part of the makeover, but not before his financial woes were described as blowing through $14 million in career earnings and taking a $250,000 loan from his parents.
—Jessica Hill, Chicago Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026
Miami is still a long way from fixing its traffic and public transportation woes, but there may be a credible solution on the horizon — electric flying taxis.
—Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2026
David Harbour and Jason Bateman star as Floyd and Clark, a pair of co-workers turned friends who get caught up in using a new dating app as a way to combat their woes about being middle-aged.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
Executives have blamed the brand’s woes on young people cutting back on going out to eat and a tough economic climate that has hurt the restaurant industry.
—Bloomberg, Daily News, 26 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for woes
Noun
-
After a whole season exploring the pains of being an illegitimate child and fears of pregnancy, Sophie and Benedict are now free to have children that would be welcomed warmly into society.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
27 Feb. 2026
-
But these are the standard-issue growing pains the NHL routinely beats into developing rosters.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Hadi’s exceptional attention gives cinematic identity to collective artisanal energy, to the life force of care and devotion that stands outside the agonies of politics, to the spirit that endures a regime and outlives it.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
This week’s massive winter storm dumped more than a foot of snow on at least 19 states, including those like Texas and Tennessee that are less prepared to deal with the miseries of winter weather.—
Amy Feldman,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
-
The victims of prejudice and inequality are always the best guardians of the ramparts that sustain those miseries.—
Cressida Leyshon,
New Yorker,
23 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Woes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/woes. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
