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 Rockies appear headed to rivaling that woeful record.
—
Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 11 May 2025
What’s more, there is a woeful shortage of pediatric dental care.
—Scott A. Rivkees, Time, 6 May 2025
The Celtics shot a woeful 3-for-16 in the third quarter but were within a basket entering the fourth, trailing 73-70.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 26 Apr. 2025
During a woeful three-inning outing, the 26-year-old gave up six runs to the middling Colorado Rockies.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for woeful
Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 11 May 2025
What’s more, there is a woeful shortage of pediatric dental care.
—Scott A. Rivkees, Time, 6 May 2025
The Celtics shot a woeful 3-for-16 in the third quarter but were within a basket entering the fourth, trailing 73-70.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 26 Apr. 2025
During a woeful three-inning outing, the 26-year-old gave up six runs to the middling Colorado Rockies.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for woeful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for woeful
Adjective
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The slow, mournful piano chords capture the somber bite of the scene with remarkable punch yet also a sobering stillness, and that’s before the elegiac words carry the song off into the sky.—
Daniel Dylan Wray,
Pitchfork,
8 May 2025
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Wynette’s mournful lyrics about a partner who has left—will one protagonist leave the other during the game’s main campaign?—to the sound of lonely, sad acoustic country music is the flip side of Wang Chung’s carefree spirit.—
Brady Gerber,
Vulture,
7 May 2025
Adjective
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My back hurt from that sad excuse for a chair (seriously, who designs dining chairs to feel like medieval torture devices?).—
Renae Gregoire,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2025
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Stewart is still thanked by gay fans by creating such a rare, highly visible (albeit sad) representation.—
Jordan Hoffman,
EW.com,
27 May 2025
Adjective
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Mexicans mourned the deaths of two sailors while authorities in Mexico and New York worked to unravel the mystery of the tragic crash of the Cuauhtémoc Training Ship into the Brooklyn Bridge.—
John Bacon,
USA Today,
21 May 2025
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The social media influencer shared an emotional Instagram video featuring her three-year-old son Trigg on Mother's Day, marking her last post with him before his tragic death on May 18 following a pool incident that occurred days prior.—
Skyler Caruso,
People.com,
20 May 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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Reports suggested that Daltrey was unhappy with Starkey’s playing on the night, and a number of songs were cut short.—
Thomas Smith,
Billboard,
29 May 2025
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Netflix In a recent interview with Harper's Bazaar, Ortega revealed that the massive success following 'Wednesday' actually left her unhappy.—
Jeremy Hanna,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 May 2025
Adjective
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The timing of Correa’s five-game absence for a concussion sustained in Baltimore on May 15 was unfortunate.—
Dan Hayes,
New York Times,
27 May 2025
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This is especially unfortunate because the plot itself is quite harrowing.—
Paul A. Thompson,
Pitchfork,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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On the internet, though, he is deemed as the heartbroken, brooding type because ...—
Stephanie Sengwe,
People.com,
25 May 2025
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Agudelo made it through surgery Wednesday to relieve pressure on her brain but only has a 1% chance of ultimately surviving, her heartbroken daughter told the Daily News Thursday.—
Kerry Burke,
New York Daily News,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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The Angels left-hander began the season as one of their high leverage relievers, but a miserable outing in the season’s first week told him something wasn’t right.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
26 May 2025
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Power wound up 19th, the highest-finishing Penske driver on a miserable day for the organization owned by Roger Penske.—
Jenna Fryer,
Hartford Courant,
25 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Woeful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/woeful. Accessed 1 Jun. 2025.
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