woeful

C2 Topic:Describing Qualities

Also spelled woful and wofully

US /ˈwəʊfəl/ See IPA manual

Freq #39570

Meanings

1

adj
Full of woe; sorrowful; distressed with grief or calamity.

How many woeful widows left to bow / To sad disgrace!
2

adj
Bringing calamity, distress, or affliction.

A woeful event.
3

adj
Lamentable, deplorable.

Thou seest we are not all alone unhappy: This wide and universal theatre Presents more woeful pageants than the scene Wherein we play in.
4

adj
Wretched; paltry; poor.

What woful stuff this madrigal would be / In some starv'd hackney sonneteer or me!

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · full of woe; sorrowful;... atrabiliary atrabiliousblithelessbluebummed outchapfallen cheerless chopfallen

2 adj · bringing calamity,... apocalyptic calamitous cataclysmal cataclysmic catastrophic deadlydebaculardestructive

3 adj · lamentable, deplorable. atrabiliary atrabilious deplorable depressing distressing grievous heartbreaking heartrending

4 adj · wretched; paltry; poor. abject ass bad base beggarlybelow parblameworthybottom-shelf

Word family

Forms woefully

Derived forms woefullywoefulness

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

woeful plight
a deeply distressing and unfortunate situation that is difficult to escape

Adjective + noun

Etymology

From Middle English woful, waful, equivalent to woe + -ful. Compare Old English wālīċ (“woeful”), Old English tēonful (“woeful”).

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# woeful

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈwəʊfəl/
**Frequency rank:** 39570

## Meanings
1. Full of woe; sorrowful; distressed with grief or calamity.
2. Bringing calamity, distress, or affliction.
3. Lamentable, deplorable.
4. Wretched; paltry; poor.

## Examples
- How many woeful widows left to bow / To sad disgrace!
- A woeful event.
- Thou seest we are not all alone unhappy: This wide and universal theatre Presents more woeful pageants than the scene Wherein we play in.
- What woful stuff this madrigal would be / In some starv'd hackney sonneteer or me!

## Synonyms
- atrabiliary
- atrabilious
- blitheless
- blue
- bummed out
- chapfallen
- cheerless
- chopfallen
- apocalyptic
- calamitous
- cataclysmal
- cataclysmic

## Derived Forms
- woefully
- woefulness

## Etymology
From Middle English woful, waful, equivalent to woe + -ful. Compare Old English wālīċ (“woeful”), Old English tēonful (“woeful”).

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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