as in sadly
with feelings of bitterness or grief
woefully recounted the many injustices that the family had endured at the hands of the dictator
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Recent Examples of woefully
The country had lost a generation of promising students and researchers during World War I; its universities were teaching math in uncoordinated, fragmented ways, using materials that were woefully out of date.
—
Leila Sloman, Quanta Magazine, 25 Mar. 2026
Like many in my field, I’ve been frustrated by woefully inadequate options for pain management, shaped by centuries of gender bias and a lack of investment in women’s health research.
—Maryl Sackeim, STAT, 20 Mar. 2026
Not all wavelengths have received equal attention, however, and some wavelengths have been woefully neglected in recent years.
—Big Think, 11 Mar. 2026
That means people covered by other insurers must find mental health treatment elsewhere, a prospect that’s difficult in a county that, by most accounts, is woefully underserved to meet a fast-growing need for mental health care.
—Andre Mouchard, Oc Register, 11 Mar. 2026
The song is one of many that addresses a period where Musgraves was sometimes blissfully and sometimes woefully romantically unattached.
—Melinda Newman, Billboard, 11 Mar. 2026
The tie was decided when stationary West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola saved Dango Ouattara’s woefully taken Panenka effort in the shootout.
—ABC News, 9 Mar. 2026
Thus far, that effort is falling woefully short.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 8 Mar. 2026
Yet such standards are missing or woefully inadequate.
—Parmy Olson, Mercury News, 7 Mar. 2026
Leila Sloman, Quanta Magazine, 25 Mar. 2026
Like many in my field, I’ve been frustrated by woefully inadequate options for pain management, shaped by centuries of gender bias and a lack of investment in women’s health research.
—Maryl Sackeim, STAT, 20 Mar. 2026
Not all wavelengths have received equal attention, however, and some wavelengths have been woefully neglected in recent years.
—Big Think, 11 Mar. 2026
That means people covered by other insurers must find mental health treatment elsewhere, a prospect that’s difficult in a county that, by most accounts, is woefully underserved to meet a fast-growing need for mental health care.
—Andre Mouchard, Oc Register, 11 Mar. 2026
The song is one of many that addresses a period where Musgraves was sometimes blissfully and sometimes woefully romantically unattached.
—Melinda Newman, Billboard, 11 Mar. 2026
The tie was decided when stationary West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola saved Dango Ouattara’s woefully taken Panenka effort in the shootout.
—ABC News, 9 Mar. 2026
Thus far, that effort is falling woefully short.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 8 Mar. 2026
Yet such standards are missing or woefully inadequate.
—Parmy Olson, Mercury News, 7 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for woefully
Adverb
-
But, sadly, sometimes people do go leak classified information in those big settings.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Ride sadly passed away July 23, 2012, at the age of 61, following a battle with a terminal illness.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
29 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Generational and ideological battle lines were drawn; perhaps most bitterly, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and aligned super political action committees spent $7 million in this district alone.—
David Daley,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Mar. 2026
-
But Republican supermajorities in the House and Senate find themselves at a familiar impasse, bitterly divided over which approach to take.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
28 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Tarun would tease her, and my mother would look sorrowfully toward Kavitha, as if the two of them now shared some womanly burden.—
Madhuri Vijay,
New Yorker,
16 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
His answer is almost painfully endearing.—
Ryan Brennan,
Miami Herald,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Both seasons were painfully funny (often just painful), but the humor sometimes got lost as time has proven even its most over-the-top bits eerily correct.—
Jennifer Silverman,
Rolling Stone,
29 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
They are being hit so hard, anybody would be negotiating.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
There is serious concern that a stoppage that costs games could dampen the enthusiasm the sport worked hard to rebuild.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Woefully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/woefully. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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