woebegone

[ woh-bi-gawn, -gon ]
See synonyms for woebegone on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. beset with woe; affected by woe, especially in appearance.

  2. showing or indicating woe: He always had a woebegone look on his face.

Origin of woebegone

1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English wo begon originally, “woe (has or had) beset (someone)”; equivalent to wo + begon, past participle of begon, Old English begān “to surround, beset”; see origin at woe, be-, go1

Other words for woebegone

Other words from woebegone

  • woe·be·gone·ness, noun

Words Nearby woebegone

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use woebegone in a sentence

  • He stood before me the most woebegone, heartbroken man I ever saw.

    A Confederate Girl's Diary | Sarah Margan Dawson
  • Although invariably English, they grow pale and woebegone just as easily in London as in Paris.

    Seeing Things at Night | Heywood Broun

British Dictionary definitions for woebegone

woebegone

/ (ˈwəʊbɪˌɡɒn) /


adjective
  1. sorrowful or sad in appearance

  2. archaic afflicted with woe

Origin of woebegone

1
C14: from a phrase such as me is wo begon woe has beset me

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012