1
as in mournful
expressing or suggesting mourning
the woeful expressions of the players after the humiliating loss
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sad
feeling unhappiness
never saw a more woeful-looking bunch than those campers sitting there in the drenching rain
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in tragic
of a kind to cause great distress
the restaurant patron made the woeful discovery that he had left his wallet at home
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of woeful
Agathe Robinson is beset by two classic problems: horrible writer’s block and a woeful inability to find a good man.
—
Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 20 May 2025
Even ignoring the fact a huge proportion of opposition fans see City’s period of domination as as an aberration/abomination/scandal and all their trophies are null and void, City’s record in Europe is actually pretty woeful considering all the cash thrown at it and their domestic trophies.
—Sam Lee, The Athletic, 9 Feb. 2025
Last year’s window averaged 38.8 million viewers on Fox, and that was despite the fact that Dallas’ opponent was a woeful Giants squad.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 16 May 2025
After making the post-season in each of the past two years, the Orioles are a woeful last in the American League East Division at 15-27 and have lost 9 of their last 11 games.
—Chuck Murr, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for woeful
Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 20 May 2025
Even ignoring the fact a huge proportion of opposition fans see City’s period of domination as as an aberration/abomination/scandal and all their trophies are null and void, City’s record in Europe is actually pretty woeful considering all the cash thrown at it and their domestic trophies.
—Sam Lee, The Athletic, 9 Feb. 2025
Last year’s window averaged 38.8 million viewers on Fox, and that was despite the fact that Dallas’ opponent was a woeful Giants squad.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 16 May 2025
After making the post-season in each of the past two years, the Orioles are a woeful last in the American League East Division at 15-27 and have lost 9 of their last 11 games.
—Chuck Murr, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for woeful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for woeful
Adjective
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The Defender published several obituaries, mournful but proud.—
Victor Luckerson,
Smithsonian Magazine,
13 May 2025
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Trump, meanwhile, drew the public’s attention for wearing a dark blue suit and a lighter blue tie in a sea of mournful black attire.—
Darlene Superville,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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To some, this may sound bizarre, laughable, or even just plain sad.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 June 2025
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Banks: There’s a reason why the theater [symbol] is a happy face/sad face.—
Lorraine Ali,
Los Angeles Times,
7 June 2025
Adjective
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This is a tragic statistic, and too many brilliant, capable women are suffering because of it.—
Melissa Houston,
Forbes.com,
2 June 2025
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The law followed the tragic and preventable death of a 16-year-old football player who died from heat stroke during football practice three years earlier.—
Jenna DiPaolo,
Sun Sentinel,
1 June 2025
Adjective
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And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.—
David Mamet,
National Review,
11 Aug. 2022
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The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2021
Adjective
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Additionally, the more fiscally conservative Senate is increasingly unhappy with the cost of the bill, which is estimated to add $3.1 trillion to the deficit over the next decade.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
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Trump is unhappy with Musk’s outburst, but Republicans are downplaying the effect on their agenda bill Trump confirmed their relationship has soured, with Musk repeatedly blasting the president’s sweeping domestic agenda bill in recent days and a public fight on social media on Thursday.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
6 June 2025
Adjective
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An unfortunate series of events in the eighth inning led to the Brewers going up 3-1.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 June 2025
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The polished old pro bent time and space, keeping the unfortunate new work to a minimum and running through his hits, reliving, nearly chronologically, the thrill of experiencing his catalog all over again at a speed run.—
Abe Beame,
Rolling Stone,
7 June 2025
Adjective
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The second track on the LP told the story of a heartbroken barmaid pining after a sailor who refused to give up his nomadically maritime lifestyle for her.—
Josh Weiss,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
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Courtesy of Lionsgate The heartbroken little girl with the ballerina music box will grow up to be Ana de Armas’ Eve Macarro, a young woman bent on—what else?—avenging her father’s murder.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
6 June 2025
Adjective
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The day started again, but a second voice joined the miserable monologue, pushing me to plant beets instead of flowers.—
Zackery Cuevas,
PC Magazine,
8 June 2025
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The win vaulted Miami from sixth to third in MLS standings and felt like a turning point— not just a singular game, but a season statement after a miserable May.—
Kaitlyn Pohly,
Miami Herald,
1 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Woeful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/woeful. Accessed 14 Jun. 2025.
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