woe
Americannoun
-
profound grief or distress.
His woe at the terrible news was almost beyond description.
- Synonyms:
- melancholy, wretchedness, trial, tribulation, anguish
- Antonyms:
- joy
-
an affliction or cause of distress.
She suffered a fall, among her other woes.
interjection
idioms
-
woe betide, trouble or punishment will come upon (someone) if they take the specified action: Also woe to
Woe betide anybody who laughed or continued to talk while he was playing.
Rules about court reporting are strict, and woe betide those who fall foul of them.
Woe to the pedestrian who gets in a cyclist's way.
-
woe is me, (used to lament one's own distress, affliction, or trouble, sometimes humorously).
Woe is me, for I am ruined!
Please don't get the wrong impression, thinking this is a “woe is me” story.
noun
-
literary intense grief or misery
-
(often plural) affliction or misfortune
-
misfortune will befall someone
woe betide you if you arrive late
interjection
Synonym Usage
See sorrow.
Etymology
Origin of woe
First recorded before 900; Middle English wo (interjection and noun), Old English wā (interjection) ( cf. wellaway); cognate with Dutch wee, German Weh, Old Norse vei; akin to Latin vae
Explanation
"O, woe is me!" This line is from Shakespeare. When Hamlet scorns Ophelia, she utters these words to express the grief and despair that will soon drive her to suicide. Another famously dejected figure, Job, echoes this unhappy cry in the Old Testament when he contemplates his sad fate, "If I be wicked, woe unto me." Today, woe generally means "problem" or "worry." You may experience financial woes, if you spend too much on your credit card. And study hard for your classes or in addition to your academic woes, you may get grounded by your parents. Sometimes woe is used in a slightly ironic way. If your friends tell you to forget about your woes and go out with them, they think your problems are not too serious.
Vocabulary lists containing woe
"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act II
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Christmas Carol Vocab: A Lyrical Lexicon
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Words inspired by "Inside Out"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Woe betide anyone who didn't meet Amorim's standards.
From BBC • Aug. 4, 2025
Employees are encouraged to gain mastery over what Kier Eagan describes as the Four Tempers: Woe, Frolic, Dread and Malice.
From Salon • Feb. 15, 2025
Woe to those who borrowed money from him and could not pay it back.
From New York Times • Apr. 24, 2023
Woe to the nation if it’s the wrong one.
From Washington Post • Dec. 5, 2022
We don’t have to leave Insmire to get to the High King’s palace, but we do skirt the edge of two other tiny islands, Insmoor, Isle of Stone, and Insweal, Isle of Woe.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
