adjective
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sorrowful or sad in appearance
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archaic afflicted with woe
Other Word Forms
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”; see origin at 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?"
Vocabulary lists containing woebegone
Lord of the Flies
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Cry Me A River: Synonyms for "Sad"
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Henry IV, Part 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Barker has no interest in shining some light on Nikki when keeping his woebegone protagonist in the dark is scarier.
From Salon ● Jun. 4, 2026
This woebegone era of frugality hath come to its end.
From MarketWatch ● May 21, 2026
Like Clarence in “It’s a Wonderful Life,” Gabriel is a bit of a woebegone misfit in a long coat who needs assistance from the humans he is supposed to be assisting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2025
Times article by Chris Dufresne about the woebegone and paranormal Angels cleverly headlined “The Hex Files.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2023
Next to the glossy rats in the cage, he looked especially woebegone.
From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
