variants
or less commonly woful
1
: full of woe : grievous
woeful prophecies
2
: involving or bringing woe
3
: lamentably bad or serious : deplorable
woeful ignorance
Synonyms
Examples of woeful in a Sentence
The puppy had woeful eyes.
The student's grades were woeful.
Recent Examples on the Web
The story opens with its most suspenseful action: a bombing by an IRA platoon in Belfast that accidentally kills a group of young children, setting a woeful tone for the rest of the proceedings.
—
J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 28 Mar. 2024
One perspective sees the whole saga as a woeful mistake.
—Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
Burks, White and Braun upgrade a woeful linebacker corps and Gardner-Johnson is a natural prickly fit at safety.
—Clarence E. Hill Jr., Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Mar. 2024
Women account for a woeful 7% of the board chairs across 15 leading AI companies that are shaping our future world.
—Luba Kassova, Fortune, 8 Mar. 2024
The Heat allowed the woeful Pistons to hang around all night before doing enough late to win for the seventh time in eight games.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2024
In other words: 12 of their 15 losses have come during three woeful stretches.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2024
Just two years earlier, the Diamondbacks slithered to a woeful 57-102 record.
—Chuck Murr, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
Brock Purdy, who had been woeful in the first half and shaky to start the second, despite that opening-drive field goal, had uncorked a deep pass down the middle of the field on the second play of the drive.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2024
J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 28 Mar. 2024
One perspective sees the whole saga as a woeful mistake.
—Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
Burks, White and Braun upgrade a woeful linebacker corps and Gardner-Johnson is a natural prickly fit at safety.
—Clarence E. Hill Jr., Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Mar. 2024
Women account for a woeful 7% of the board chairs across 15 leading AI companies that are shaping our future world.
—Luba Kassova, Fortune, 8 Mar. 2024
The Heat allowed the woeful Pistons to hang around all night before doing enough late to win for the seventh time in eight games.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2024
In other words: 12 of their 15 losses have come during three woeful stretches.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2024
Just two years earlier, the Diamondbacks slithered to a woeful 57-102 record.
—Chuck Murr, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
Brock Purdy, who had been woeful in the first half and shaky to start the second, despite that opening-drive field goal, had uncorked a deep pass down the middle of the field on the second play of the drive.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'woeful.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of woeful was
in the 14th century
Dictionary Entries Near woeful
Cite this Entry
“Woeful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/woeful. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
More from Merriam-Webster on woeful
Nglish: Translation of woeful for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of woeful for Arabic Speakers
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