WOEFUL Synonyms: 257 Similar and Opposite Words

woeful

adjective

ˈwō-fəl

Definition of woeful

as in mournful

expressing or suggesting mourning the woeful expressions of the players after the humiliating loss

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in sad

feeling unhappiness never saw a more woeful-looking bunch than those campers sitting there in the drenching rain

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in tragic

of a kind to cause great distress the restaurant patron made the woeful discovery that he had left his wallet at home

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of woeful Green Bay’s pass rush could be woeful without the star edge rusher. — Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 2 Sep. 2026 Although when seen up close or for prolonged periods, the digital dinos are remarkably bland and unimpressive — I was reminded of the notoriously bad CGI in the woeful Ray Bradbury movie A Sound of Thunder (2005). — Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2026 After a woeful June, one that had even the club’s most fervent supporters hovering their hands over panic buttons, the Braves have burst out of the All-Star break with vengeance on offense. — Chad Bishop, AJC.com, 20 July 2026 Mike Trout presumably has witnessed every possible blooper, blunder and boo-boo in 16 seasons with the woeful Angels. — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for woeful

Recent Examples of Synonyms for woeful

Adjective

But the production here betrays its economy, and the direction, by Garth Davis and Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, remains earthbound, held down by mournful strings and devoid of color.

— Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Tender Loving Care is a gentle, mournful, funny portrait of a family whose future is shadowed by uncertainty but tries to face life with cheeriness.

— Joe Reid, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of mournful

Adjective

Spark, a writer of the first rank, brought her beautifully to life in this moving, rather sad novel of Edinburgh in the 1930s.

— The Week US, TheWeek, 5 Oct. 2026
And yet the allegation against her now enters Orange County’s long, sad spectrum of anti-Mexican political history.

— Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of sad

Adjective

Her tragic death caused an outcry among local residents and inspired many improvements to the neighborhood.

— Christa Swanson, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026
Recounting the disappearance of his sister Jade 20 years earlier, this text threatens to expose the lies, secrets and rifts within a group of friends bound forever by tragic events.

— Ed Meza, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of tragic

Adjective

And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.

— David Mamet, National Review, 11 Aug. 2022
The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.

— Helen Shaw, Vulture, 8 Dec. 2021

Definition of weeping

Adjective

Its success made Cohn a rich, if unhappy, man, at least for a long while.

— Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 6 Oct. 2026
What appeared to be a fairly normal election for a president halfway through his term — a probable setback, as unhappy voters register their discontent — has the potential, Cook said, to turn into a disaster for Republicans.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of unhappy

Adjective

These unfortunate souls were supposed to stay in their birthplace, hoping church charity would sustain them.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
Artistic but flighty, Deborah ends up at her parents’ alma mater when an unfortunate incident gets her NYU Tisch School of the Arts acceptance rescinded.

— Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of unfortunate

Adjective

Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gire honored Macy at a county Board of Supervisors meeting Wednesday, telling community leaders that her death had left his office and the wider community heartbroken.

— Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Daria’s heartbroken family declined to comment on her death Saturday.

— Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of heartbroken

Browse Nearby Words

woebegone

woeful

woefully

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Style

“Woeful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/woeful. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of woeful

adjective

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