woefully
Americanadverb
-
in a sad or miserable way.
More often than I care to remember, I’ve been stumped for suitable small talk and have ended up staring woefully into my drink.
-
to a particularly regrettable or unfortunate degree.
The treatments prescribed by this psychiatrist are at best woefully inadequate, and at worst, make the patients more disabled than when they started out.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of woefully
Explanation
When you do something in a way that expresses how very sad or mournful you feel, you do it woefully. You can also use this adverb for things that are done really badly, like your woefully sloppy cake decorations. If you sigh woefully, "I miss my friend who moved away," you're speaking in a voice full of sorrow and longing. And if you graduate from high school not knowing how to speak even rudimentary Spanish, you can say that you are woefully lacking in foreign language skills. The "sorrowfully" meaning is the older of the two, but the "terribly" meaning is slightly more common. Woefully and woe are rooted in the Old English lamentation wa!
Vocabulary lists containing woefully
Vocabulary from the Seventh Democratic Debate, March 6, 2016
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Hilary Putnam (1926-2016)Tribute List
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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.
He is woefully short of minutes for his club, Bournemouth, and lacks sharpness and ruthlessness as a consequence.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
“And some elements of it seem inarguably true, such as the idea that Clancy’s psychiatric care was woefully uncoordinated,” Bruenig added.
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026
Everything gets wrapped up via a woefully earnest speech that explains the movie.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
Italy's government says the country's largest steel works must be converted to electric after a court-ordered shutdown of polluting furnaces but, as Rome seeks a buyer, critics say its plan is woefully unsubstantiated.
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
The last few days have shown me how woefully inadequate those protections are.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
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.
