woeful

[ woh-fuhl ]
See synonyms for: woefulwoefullywoefulness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. full ofwoe; wretched; unhappy: a woeful situation.

  2. affected with, characterized by, or indicating woe: woeful melodies.

  1. of wretched quality; sorry; poor: a woeful collection of paintings.

Origin of woeful

1
A Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at woe, -ful
  • Also wo·ful .

Other words for woeful

Other words from woeful

  • woe·ful·ly, adverb
  • woe·ful·ness, noun
  • un·woe·ful, adjective
  • un·woe·ful·ness, noun

Words Nearby woeful

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

How to use woeful in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for woeful

woeful

/ (ˈwəʊfəl) /


adjective
  1. expressing or characterized by sorrow

  2. bringing or causing woe

  1. pitiful; miserable: a woeful standard of work

Derived forms of woeful

  • woefully, adverb
  • woefulness, noun

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