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woe

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noun

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word woe different from other nouns like it?

Some common synonyms of woe are anguish, grief, regret, and sorrow. While all these words mean "distress of mind," woe is deep or inconsolable grief or misery.

cries of woe echoed throughout the bombed city

When is it sensible to use anguish instead of woe?

The meanings of anguish and woe largely overlap; however, anguish suggests torturing grief or dread.

the anguish felt by the parents of the kidnapped child

When is grief a more appropriate choice than woe?

The words grief and woe can be used in similar contexts, but grief implies poignant sorrow for an immediate cause.

the inexpressible grief of the bereaved parents

Where would regret be a reasonable alternative to woe?

While the synonyms regret and woe are close in meaning, regret implies pain caused by deep disappointment, fruitless longing, or unavailing remorse.

nagging regret for missed opportunities

When can sorrow be used instead of woe?

While in some cases nearly identical to woe, sorrow implies a sense of loss or a sense of guilt and remorse.

a family united in sorrow upon the patriarch's death

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 woe
Noun
Homeowners face insurance coverage woes Meanwhile, in Sacramento, the state’s Department of Insurance is working to coax insurers back to California and provide relief for beleaguered homeowners. Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 7 Apr. 2025 In season two, Mark and his friends learn the dire consequences of trifling with the severance barrier, leading them further down a path of woe. Scott Feinberg, HollywoodReporter, 7 Apr. 2025 Andre is often transparent about his unusual health woes. Vanessa Etienne, People.com, 8 Apr. 2025 Shoulder woes dogged him in his first year-plus in the organization, but Lowe went wire-to-wire in 2024, earning a promotion to the high Single-A Midwest League before the end of the year. Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for woe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for woe
Interjection
  • Highlights include a costume parade (for kids and parents), a Purim story and boo Haman and songs.
    Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Mar. 2024
  • Volunteer yourself to help with X, Y and Z accommodations if that lightens the family’s workload, without saying boo about the couple’s choices.
    Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 18 Jan. 2024
Noun
  • Kahle said that includes providing resources to participants for whom sharing experiences of intimate partner violence may cause trauma or mental health distress.
    Rae Ellen Bichell and Rachana Pradhan, Miami Herald, 20 Apr. 2025
  • Costa Rican officials have disputed reports by the country’s Ombudsman’s Office that the deportees arrived in Costa Rica in visible distress and that authorities failed to guarantee proper conditions for arriving deportees.
    Megan Janetsky, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • His eyes filled with sorrow as his mom gave Lola all the attention.
    John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Apr. 2025
  • Emotions and sorrow were palpable even though Prine has been dead for nearly five years.
    Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • His experiences at Fuchu Prison left him with frostbite, screaming in agony, after being exposed to sub-zero temperatures during 20 days in solitary confinement.
    Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2025
  • What began as a blissful afternoon in the Florida sun ended in agony when a Jeep Wrangler suddenly barreled over a man lying on the beach, police said.
    Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • But Season 2, by leaning so far into its characters’ anguish, has become more circular and suffocating in its storytelling.
    Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 21 Apr. 2025
  • Coogler attempts to out-scare Jordan Peele’s Get Out, using horror tropes to match the anguish expressed by the blues.
    Armond White, National Review, 18 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • For civilians, the unrelenting misery of the last 18 months has just got a lot worse – especially as no aid has entered Gaza for six weeks.
    Tim Lister and Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 12 Apr. 2025
  • Life was good, especially after the last three seasons of misery, when games at this time of year were meaningless aside from their impact on the draft lottery.
    Arpon Basu, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Although some in the media distort the anger directed at Rowling from trans activists, trans people, and allies, the truth is those feelings — not just anger, but betrayal and grief — are justified.
    Aja Romano, Vox, 18 Apr. 2025
  • The film tells the story of a tech entrepreneur (Vincent Cassel) grappling with memory and grief.
    Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2025
Interjection
  • Studies of fathers have generated some alarmist headlines over the years, and Hrdy has kindly collated them: no dad joke: fatherhood shrinks the brain; aw, nuts!
    Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 30 Mar. 2024
  • And then … aw, just cue up the video player for the epic Francisco Lindor homer that won this thing!
    Jayson Stark, The Athletic, 27 Dec. 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Woe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/woe. Accessed 27 Apr. 2025.

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