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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

Rodrigo Gomes had just capped a woeful night for Aston Villa - the substitute finishing them off to earn Wolves a deserved victory.

From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026

Spurs' woeful run of form under Thomas Frank saw the Dane sacked earlier this month, with Tudor brought in to replicate the kind of mid-season recovery he managed with Italian sides Juventus and Lazio.

From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026

However, their Premier League form has been largely poor since November, including a damaging 4-1 defeat by north London rivals Arsenal and a woeful 3-0 loss at relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest.

From BBC • Feb. 11, 2026

Captain Nemo’s submarine vibrating with his woeful dirge as it floated through the black.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.