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Synonyms

woeful

American  
[woh-fuhl] / ˈwoʊ fəl /
Also woful

adjective

  1. full of woe; wretched; unhappy.

    a woeful situation.

  2. affected with, characterized by, or indicating woe.

    woeful melodies.

  3. of wretched quality; sorry; poor.

    a woeful collection of paintings.
    Synonyms:
    awful, dreadful, unlikely, unpromising
woeful British  
/ ˈwəʊfəl /

adjective

  1. expressing or characterized by sorrow

  2. bringing or causing woe

  3. pitiful; miserable

    a woeful standard of work
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • unwoeful adjective
  • unwoefulness noun
  • woefully adverb
  • woefulness noun

Etymology

Origin of woeful

A Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; woe, -ful

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.

However, the woeful defeat by Forest heightened Spurs' fears of suffering their first relegation from the top flight since 1977 and proved to be the final game of his brief spell.

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026

Covered for the ignominy of his historically woeful four-for-51 hitting performance.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026

Steve Borthwick's boss has given the England coach his backing, but says there will be a full examination of the woeful Six Nations campaign after the team's final-round match against France on Saturday.

From BBC • Mar. 8, 2026

The England forward completed his hat-trick three minutes later, drilling home from Marc Cucurella's pass after more woeful Wolves defending.

From Barron's • Feb. 7, 2026

He goes to bed, pounds the wall with his fist, sings a woeful song, falls asleep.

From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt

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.