woeful
or wo·ful
[woh-fuh l]
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Origin of woeful
Synonyms
See more synonyms for woeful on Thesaurus.com3. unpromising, unlikely, dreadful, awful.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for woefully
Contemporary Examples
The newly free country struggled to maintain order in the wake of independence, but it was woefully unprepared.
His last words, or so they say, were woefully self-indulgent: “Why me, Johnny Lazia, who has been the friend of everybody?”
The penniless Pieret announced his intentions of stealing more art from the woefully guarded Louvre to make more money.
That is woefully short of what ISIS needs, and they know it.
We Americans are so woefully unaware when it comes to the history, and the specifics.
Jonathan Demme on Gaza, Transphobia in ‘The Silence of the Lambs,’ and Meryl Streep as a Rock StarMarlow Stern
July 25, 2014
Historical Examples
My dear, you will be woefully disappointed if in my story you expect any thing like a novel.
Tales And Novels, Volume 3 (of 10)Maria Edgeworth
"It seems that I am woefully ignorant of the Bay," continued Hermione.
A Spirit in PrisonRobert Hichens
Several times her recitations were halting, once woefully incorrect.
Polly of Lady Gay CottageEmma C. Dowd
His voice was low and threatening, but his words were woefully distinct.
St. Martin's SummerRafael Sabatini
Credit is woefully inflated; speculation and waste are rampant.
Herbert HooverVernon Kellogg
woeful
- expressing or characterized by sorrow
- bringing or causing woe
- pitiful; miserablea woeful standard of work
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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
Word Origin and History for woefully
woeful
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper