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Definitions

woeful

[woh-fuhl] / ˈwoʊ fəl /
ADJECTIVE
terrible, sad
Synonyms
STRONGEST
appalling awful calamitous deplorable disappointing disastrous dreadful feeble grim lamentable lousy miserable paltry pathetic pitiful shocking sorry wretched
WEAK
afflicted agonized anguished bad catastrophic cruel disconsolate disgraceful distressing doleful gloomy grieving grievous heartbreaking heartrending heartsick hopeless inadequate mean mournful piteous pitiable plaintive poor racked rotten sorrowful tortured tragic unfortunate unhappy
Antonyms
STRONGEST
blessed cheerful comforting encouraging excellent fortunate good happy hopeful joyful lucky nice pleasing rich satisfactory wealthy wonderful worthwhile
WEAK
glad

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.

Covered for the ignominy of his historically woeful four-for-51 hitting performance.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026

A woeful defeat by relegation rivals Nottingham Forest leaves Spurs above the Premier League's bottom three by a point.

From BBC • Mar. 22, 2026

The woeful record of the national men's team is also evidence for withering comments and the malaise is well-documented.

From BBC • Mar. 6, 2026

Stokes is back in England following a woeful Ashes tour, which ended with a 4-1 series loss to Australia.

From Barron's • Feb. 11, 2026

Similarly mournful love songs were cropping up all over Europe during this period, their woeful lyrics gaining popularity in courts, noble houses, and other places where a sheet of printed music could be afforded.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall