woebegone

[woh-bi-gawn, -gon]

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

woebegone

/ ˈwəʊbɪˌɡɒn /

adjective

1. sorrowful or sad in appearance

2. archaic,  afflicted with woe

Other Word Forms

• woebegoneness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of woebegone¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of woebegone¹

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

Example Sentences

Indeed, even more troublesome was the Dodgers’ inability to generate much against the Diamondbacks’ bullpen — a woebegone unit that has spoiled Arizona’s playoff aspirations by ranking 26th in the majors with a 4.73 ERA.

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“Why not just jump straight into the deep end?” said Karty, who is charged with remedying the Rams’ woebegone kicking of 2023 .

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The Vikings have the same 6-5 record but host the woebegone Bears Monday night.

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Wilson was held to 95 yards passing with a touchdown and a pair of interceptions, and woebegone Denver finished with just 197 yards of total offense.

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The Reds were able to find something slightly savory from the carcass of the woebegone A’s, marginally improving their bullpen with the addition of Moll, a slider specialist who is tough on left-handed hitters.

Read more on Los Angeles Times