1
as in mournful
expressing or suggesting mourning
the woeful expressions of the players after the humiliating loss
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
There is nothing that forces a shake-up and introspection more than an Ashes whitewash, and England turned to one of the biggest figures in women’s cricket history after a woeful winter.
—
Paul Newman, New York Times, 28 June 2025
In the Dodgers’ 9-7 win against the woeful Colorado Rockies, the veteran slugger went two for five with an early double and a go-ahead home run, keying the team’s six-run rally in the fourth with a three-run blast launched deep to right.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2025
The hard-throwing Venezuelan shut out woeful Washington over 5 2/3 innings on Wednesday night.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 19 June 2025
But Ehlers might block one of San Jose’s power forward prospects, and Ekblad would be a serious upgrade for a woeful defense.
—Scott Powers, New York Times, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for woeful
Paul Newman, New York Times, 28 June 2025
In the Dodgers’ 9-7 win against the woeful Colorado Rockies, the veteran slugger went two for five with an early double and a go-ahead home run, keying the team’s six-run rally in the fourth with a three-run blast launched deep to right.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2025
The hard-throwing Venezuelan shut out woeful Washington over 5 2/3 innings on Wednesday night.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 19 June 2025
But Ehlers might block one of San Jose’s power forward prospects, and Ekblad would be a serious upgrade for a woeful defense.
—Scott Powers, New York Times, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for woeful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for woeful
Adjective
-
Ortega’s deadpan remains impeccable and her mournful gaze allows for viewer projection that goes beyond anything on the page, but Wednesday too often comes across as a piece of an ensemble at this point.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Aug. 2025
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Just over two weeks after the death of his father, Ozzy Osbourne, the metal legend’s youngest child, Jack Osbourne, shared a mournful tribute on Instagram.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Charlotte Lawrence loves a good, gut-wrenching, sad song.—
Leah Lu,
Rolling Stone,
7 Aug. 2025
-
Even weeks following the sad news, Black Sabbath is still dominating, and several of the group’s albums climb to new peaks decades after they were first released.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
That year, millions of people all around the world consumed his work in incredible numbers following his sudden and tragic passing.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
13 Aug. 2025
-
In June of that year, the CDC began following this strange and tragic phenomenon.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2021
Adjective
-
As with almost any change, some residents were unhappy, mostly about being told to slow down.—
Phil Diehl,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Aug. 2025
-
President Donald Trump was unhappy with July’s U.S. jobs report, which showed hiring slowing (with 73,000 jobs added, compared to 100,000 predicted) and revised past months’ numbers.—
Emma Hinchliffe,
Fortune,
4 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
After the unfortunate withdrawal of U.S. Classic bars champion Myli Lew in podium training, the women’s bars title is even more up for grabs.—
Caroline Price,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
-
The fishermen were forced to abandon the Titan after a series of unfortunate events hit the ship.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
While the feline escaped unscathed, Lex admitted the incident left her heartbroken.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Aug. 2025
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That’s not to say Moore wasn’t heartbroken or incredibly stressed out during the wildfires.—
Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal,
Parents,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Daphne, miserable at boarding school; Bea, unhappy at home.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Aug. 2025
-
For years, parents faced a choice between exposing their kids to unknown dangers on social-media platforms or fighting a constant battle that would leave their kids isolated and miserable.—
Charlotte Alter,
Time,
4 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Woeful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/woeful. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.
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