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”; 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?"

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

woebegone

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

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

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.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2025

For Prudence was an entirely different child from the woebegone shrinking creature who had stood in the roadway outside the school.

From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare