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Meanings of woeful in English

Of very poor quality or condition.

Related terms

Filled with grief, sorrow, woe.

Synonyms
Examples for "miserable"
Examples for "miserable"
1
It is hard in the stationary, and miserable in the declining state.
An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations
2
You behold in me the most miserable monarch in all the world.
The Emerald City of Oz
3
He was miserable; he had no confidence in himself, in his future.
Coningsby; Or, The New Generation
4
The idea-themiserable fancy rather-hasterribly corrupted the preaching of the gospel.
The Hope of the Gospel
5
They lived in dirty houses situated in miserable parts of the slums.
The Story of Mankind
1
He said the action was an opportunity to clarify a wretched situation.
Radio NZ
2
The household affairs are in a wretched condition; everything is in disorder.
The Goose Man
3
Parliament voted to hold the wretched 2016 referendum by an overwhelming majority.
The Guardian
4
Veronica is amazed: isn't Zimbabwe supposed to be a wretched, dangerous place?
Night of knives
5
The colonel sat in wretched silence a few moments; then he arose:
From the Ranks
1
Unfortunately, though his size is quite formidable, his speed is quite deplorable.
Boy’s Life
2
The specific case on Panorama, and any case like it, is deplorable.
The Guardian
3
The army was in the most deplorable condition of weakness and hunger.
David Crockett: His Life and Adventures
4
He expressed the opinion that the world was in a deplorable state.
Right Ho, Jeeves
5
The aspect of the streets on the following day was deplorable enough.
Old Saint Paul's: A Tale of the Plague and the Fire
1
We had gone just over six miles, execrable by long-distance hiking standards.
The cactus eaters: how I lost my mind-and almost found myself-on...
2
Even such conveyances fared hard on the execrable roads of the period.
The People for Whom Shakespeare Wrote
3
She has littered the whole estate with execrable names and offensive signs:
Extracts from Adam's Diary, translated from the original ms.
4
He went up and saw the cross, an execrable symbol to him.
The new yorker
5
The same old execrable Heatherleys looked down from the black oak panellings.
The Dark Flower
Usage of woeful in English
1
It didn't help that I was woeful at school games, of course.
The Irish Times
2
Other broader data sources confirm the prime minister's woeful record on parliament.
The Guardian
3
Our behaviour often reveals a woeful lack of understanding of basic arithmetic.
The Irish Times
4
Māori Council spokesperson Maanu Paul said the consultation process had been woeful.
Radio NZ
5
The incident throws a renewed spotlight on Indonesia's woeful air safety record.
Reuters
6
Writers visited hospitals & found a woeful lack of medications & equipment.
The new yorker
7
Secondly, the implementation of Twitter interactivity in the People hub is woeful.
The Guardian
8
Mock, still limping and looking woeful, kept out in the open air.
Uncle Sam's Boys with Pershing's Troops / Or, Dick Prescott at G...
9
Although, considering the woeful season Amakhosi just had, maybe change is looming.
The South African
10
I thought it was a woeful day when they took ranks away.
Gunn's golden rules
11
Of many woeful nights this was the worst she had yet suffered.
The Odd Women
12
This woeful shortcoming from bygone days attended other aspects of the scene.
Through the Mackenzie Basin / A Narrative of the Athabasca and P...
13
The unhappy plebe certainly did present a most laughable yet woeful appearance.
Dick Prescott's Second Year at West Point / Or, Finding the Glor...
14
It was pretty woeful in the end and nobody can deny that.
The Guardian
15
Overall, these Prime Day deals on Amazon Australia are absolutely fucking woeful!
News.com.au
16
She gazed at him, and he never forgot the woeful, weeping face.
Dora Thorne
About this term
More collocations
Woeful through the time
Woeful across language varieties
Ireland
Common
United Kingdom
Common
United States of America
Common