woes

noun

plural of woe
as in pains
a state of great suffering of body or mind a tale of misery and woe

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 woes With his political blog FTL Politics, Rodstrom trained a spotlight on City Hall, questioning development deals, flooding woes and government spending. — Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 8 Oct. 2026 There are many legitimate reasons to bash Becerra, from his refusal to participate in more debates to his paltry number of public rallies to a platform that sounds like more of what created California’s current woes. — Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026 This time the meetups are spread across a number of weeks, as the summer heat cools gently into autumn, while the interludes themselves attempt to broach something more complex than simple relationship woes. — James Marsh, Variety, 6 Oct. 2026 Offensive woes and pitching injuries have plagued the on-field product. — Kansas City Star, 6 Oct. 2026 Beijing is also actively steering China toward a reactionary version of itself that will worsen its demographic woes rather than help address them. — Carl Minzner, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2026 The economy During his first weeks as prime minister, Burnham announced a raft of policies targeting Britain’s economic woes, including the reduction of bus fares in England and cuts to business rates bills for pubs and music venues. — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2026 Defense woes could be season-long A week ago FSU allowed 50 points at Alabama, which scored on nine straight drives. — Bob Ferrante, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Sep. 2026 Some of these woes have been masked by higher movie ticket prices — which are expected to help boost the domestic box office above $10 billion for the first time since the pandemic — but the moviegoing industry is still adapting to new economics. — Sarah Whitten, CNBC, 25 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for woes
  1. pains
  2. distresses
  3. agonies
  4. miseries
Noun
  • In the past, Fox News has taken pains to illustrate to its viewers how the election could tilt blue.
    — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Symptoms usually begin within two weeks and can last nearly three weeks, including aches and pains, nausea and rashes.
    — Angie DiMichele, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of pains
Noun
  • Pain, infection, medication side effects, and other physical and emotional distresses may be expressed through shouting, intimidating gestures, kicking, pushing, or punching.
    — Jordan Rau, NPR, 19 July 2026
Definition of distresses
Noun
  • There are few harsher agonies than waiting, and throughout the great expanse of the CPKC ‘International’ Grand Prix presented by Rolex at the Spruce Meadows ‘Masters’, two riders felt that in very different ways.
    — Tilly Berendt, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Sadly, in discouraging all the phantom agonies, FIFA inadvertently seems to have done away with the equally farcical phenomenon that is Magic Spray®.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of agonies
Noun
  • Some residents said hope is elusive given the island’s litany of miseries – from natural disasters to a bankrupt government to a financial control board that manages funding for infrastructure.
    — Isabel Rosales, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Cyclospora, an intestinal parasite, has sickened thousands of people and hospitalized hundreds with explosive diarrhea, painful cramping, or other gastrointestinal miseries.
    — Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of miseries

Browse Nearby Words

woefulness
woes
woke
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All