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
The catastrophic crashes of two Boeing 737s in 2018 and 2019, claiming 346 lives, were fundamentally tied to woeful deficiencies in addressing human factors in the design, deployment, certification, and operation of the MCAS system.
—
Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 7 Feb. 2025
The agency elevated its fight against climate change into a central pillar of U.S. development work akin to poverty reduction — a woeful distraction from its work in war zones and in countries suffering famine.
—The Editors, National Review, 5 Feb. 2025
This is good news for China after a woeful 2024 that saw a roughly 25% full-year slide versus 2023.
—Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 2 Feb. 2025
There were, predictably some long nights but Tommy was in many ways the most entertaining part of that woeful start to Winnipeg's NHL history.
—Steve Buckley, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for woeful
Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 7 Feb. 2025
The agency elevated its fight against climate change into a central pillar of U.S. development work akin to poverty reduction — a woeful distraction from its work in war zones and in countries suffering famine.
—The Editors, National Review, 5 Feb. 2025
This is good news for China after a woeful 2024 that saw a roughly 25% full-year slide versus 2023.
—Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 2 Feb. 2025
There were, predictably some long nights but Tommy was in many ways the most entertaining part of that woeful start to Winnipeg's NHL history.
—Steve Buckley, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for woeful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for woeful
Adjective
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Brown’s sound design mixes Sousa-like military fanfares with mournful underscoring for Lavinia’s tragedy, neither of which has much to do with Kidwell’s preshow music.—
Emily McClanathan,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Feb. 2025
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Chaos quickly unfolds when the bickering, different-strokes twins find the calamitous heirloom—although Perkins keeps the first act mostly mournful, as the boys struggle with the onslaught of death around them.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Especially sad is the case of Netta, one of Liat’s three children, who survived the attack.—
Jordan Mintzer,
The Hollywood Reporter,
20 Feb. 2025
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The range of weapons and passive abilities that drop from major enemies just encourage different playstyles, rather than shoving you into a sad corner full of regrets.—
Josh Broadwell,
Rolling Stone,
19 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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And then everything changed due to the pandemic and the great Helen McCrory’s tragic passing.—
Brian Davids,
The Hollywood Reporter,
26 Feb. 2025
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Michelle Trachtenberg’s former costars are remembering the actor after her tragic death at age 39.—
Glamour,
Glamour,
26 Feb. 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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Many previous Trump advisers, including Mr. Bolton, have tried to contain Mr. Trump, with unhappy results.—
Michael Crowley,
New York Times,
21 Feb. 2025
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Thus, Amazon knows there won't be a raft of unhappy customers complaining about losing their apps.—
Ryan Whitwam,
Ars Technica,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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But over the last few weeks, bagel eaters around the city have been confronted with some unfortunate news: Signs are plastered across shop counters stating a $1.25 additional surcharge for any bagel sandwiches featuring eggs.—
Zoya Hasan,
Forbes,
21 Feb. 2025
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There is an unfortunate flipside, though: Bond Could Receive Questionable Franchise Extensions That’s been the fear since Amazon acquired MGM in 2020.—
Christian Blauvelt,
IndieWire,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Boldt hired 300 workers to construct the six-story, 120-room castle outfitted with a drawbridge and tower, but when Louise died suddenly in 1904, the heartbroken Boldt halted construction and never returned to the island.—
Gulnaz Khan,
AFAR Media,
13 Feb. 2025
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There are similar Valentine’s Day opportunities geared toward the heartbroken.—
Megan Forrester,
ABC News,
12 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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There’s no sugarcoating it: Being sick can be miserable.—
Amy Panos,
Better Homes & Gardens,
18 Feb. 2025
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The way McAvoy used his great stick and heavy body to make life miserable for Canadians, including his Bruins teammate, Brad Marchand.—
Michael Russo,
The Athletic,
16 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Woeful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/woeful. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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