woebegone

American  

[woh-bi-gawn, -gon] / ˈwoʊ bɪˌgɔn, -ˌgɒn /

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.

   Synonyms:

   gloomy, forlorn, suffering

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woebegone British  

/ ˈwəʊbɪˌɡɒn /

adjective

1. sorrowful or sad in appearance

2. archaic afflicted with woe

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Other Word Forms

• woebegoneness noun

Etymology

Origin of woebegone

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”; woe, be-, go ¹

Explanation

To be woebegone is to be sad, forlorn, or heartbroken. The woebegone expression on your face tells everyone how totally bummed out you are. The word woebegone doesn't make its meaning clear at first glance: it seems to imply that woe, or extreme sadness, is gone. This adjective actually stems from a Middle English phrase, wo begon, "beset or surrounded by woe." So if you see your friend looking upset or glum, you might want to ask, "Why so woebegone?"

Example Sentences

Ms. Duleba-Kasza’s Ola is a woebegone delight; one can sense the psychic miles Marcin has run up on her.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 3, 2026

Alternately woebegone and hopeful, his star-studded “Lovin’ of the Game,” out Friday, is an ecstatic document of what the fiddle has meant to his story — and what he hopes to mean to its history.

From New York Times • Feb. 28, 2023

Kansas City instead marched methodically down field only to twice settle for field goals, leaving the woebegone Rams surprisingly within 13-3 lead at intermission.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 27, 2022

Williams put together perhaps the most woebegone effort of his college career, finishing 16 for 36 for 180 yards and a touchdown.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 25, 2022

Next to the glossy rats in the cage, he looked especially woebegone.

From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling