woe

American  

[woh] / woʊ /

noun

• woes
  plural

1. 

   profound grief or distress.

   His woe at the terrible news was almost beyond description.

   Synonyms:

   melancholy, wretchedness, trial, tribulation, anguish

   Antonyms:

   joy

2. an affliction or cause of distress.

   She suffered a fall, among her other woes.

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interjection

1. an exclamation of grief, distress, or lamentation.

idioms

1. 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.

2. 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.

woe British  

/ wəʊ /

noun

1. literary intense grief or misery

2. (often plural) affliction or misfortune

3. misfortune will befall someone

   woe betide you if you arrive late

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interjection

1. Also: woe is me.  archaic an exclamation of sorrow or distress

Synonym Usage

See sorrow.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• woes
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

woe woes

And he stresses that it isn’t in the president’s power to fix every economic woe.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026

Meanwhile, actor Rati Gupta said she wanted to reveal her tale of woe with a boomerang hookup at L.A.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026

What next for Wales after World Cup woe?

From BBC ● Mar. 31, 2026

Property taxes are another housing woe for cash-strapped Americans.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2025

The preacher is rapt with attention as Katherine begins spinning out a tale of woe and misery so pitiful that it belongs in a weekly serial.

From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland

Glamorgan's woes continued when the hard-hitting Daisy Jeanes was caught at mid-wicket off Issy Routledge.

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026

The Dodgers’ injury woes grew Wednesday when first baseman Freddie Freeman joined Shohei Ohtani on the sidelines with a right knee issue.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026

America’s education woes begin with 5-year-olds who aren’t ready for kindergarten.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

For property giant Evergrande, the face of China's real estate woes, an excruciating saga that has dragged on for years culminated on Thursday with court rulings ordering fines and jail terms.

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

The perfect prince but still half a boy for all that, with little and less experience of the world and all its woes.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

Related Words

• adversity
• anguish
• burden
• calamity
• catastrophe
• disaster
• gloom
• hardship
• headache
• misery
• misfortune
• pain
• tragedy
• trouble