woe

[ woh ]

/ woʊ /

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See synonyms for: woe / woes on Thesaurus.com

noun

grievous distress, affliction, or trouble: His woe was almost beyond description.

an affliction: She suffered a fall, among her other woes.

interjection

an exclamation of grief, distress, or lamentation.

OTHER WORDS FOR woe

1 anguish, tribulation, trial, wretchedness, melancholy.

See synonyms for woe on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR woe

1 joy.

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of woe

First recorded before 900; Middle English wo (interjection and noun), Old English wā (interjection) (cf. wellaway); cognate with Dutch wee,German Weh,Old Norse vei,Latin vae

synonym study for woe

1. See sorrow.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use woe in a sentence

The leak suggests that Mr. Obama remains blind to the principal cause of his foreign policy woes.
Before Ditching His Top Aides, Obama Should Look in the Mirror|Leslie H. Gelb|November 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The economic woes of the Great Recession have led to fewer marriages.
The Gender-Pay Gap: It’s Real, and Yes, It’s Sexism|Monica Potts|September 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Only this time, those second-term woes threaten a “third-term” hope of another second-term President.
How Iraq Became Obama’s War|Jeff Greenfield|July 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But amid their tumbling words describing their woes, they express disbelief much will come from the talks.
Why Geneva 2 Won’t Stop Syria’s War|Jamie Dettmer|January 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST

For a high-flying financier gone bad, faking your own death is a tempting escape from legal woes.
First Rule of the Fake Dead Bankers Club: Stay Gone|Daniel Gross|January 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Under the soothing influence of beauty, however, the vicar forgot his woes.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
She carried a broken-lipped jug, and was on her way to the shop which was at least the second cause of all her woes.
The Garret and the Garden|R.M. Ballantyne
She is explaining a very sad “histoire” to the “type” next to her, intense in the recital of her woes.
The Real Latin Quarter|F. Berkeley Smith
The bliss of lovers is so unstable, that in every case lovers have more woes than the moon has changes.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 (of 7) -- Romaunt of the Rose; Minor Poems|Geoffrey Chaucer
All the old frozen woes seemed to melt in her, and she murmured awkwardly, looking away from him: "Oh, I'll wait."
Summer|Edith Wharton

British Dictionary definitions for woe

woe

/ (wəʊ) /

noun

literary intense grief or misery

(often plural) affliction or misfortune

woe betide someone misfortune will befall someonewoe betide you if you arrive late

interjection

Also: woe is me archaic an exclamation of sorrow or distress

Word Origin for woe

Old English wā, wǣ; related to Old Saxon, Old High German wē, Old Norse vei, Gothic wai, Latin vae, Sanskrit uvē; see wail

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