woeful — extremely bad or distressing; causing sorrow or misery
Part of speech: ADJECTIVE
Definition: extremely bad or distressing; causing sorrow or misery
Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈwoʊfəl/
Example Sentences
- My cooking skills are so woeful that even the smoke detector applauds when I'm done.
- The company's woeful financial situation led to massive layoffs.
- His woeful attempt at singing made the neighbors call the police, thinking someone was in distress.
woeful
ADJECTIVE[/ˈwoʊfəl/]
extremely bad or distressing; causing sorrow or misery

The student's woeful violin performance makes the audience cover their ears

WOE-FULL guy overflows with sorrow - woefully drenched in distress!

A woeful soul seeks to become whole
Got the picture? Now let's practice.
🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Middle English 'woeful', derived from 'woe' (sorrow, grief) combined with the suffix '-ful' (full of). The word 'woe' has Old English roots, from Proto-Germanic origins meaning deep distress or lamentation.
Breakdown
woe (sorrow, grief) + -ful (full of, characterized by) = woeful (full of woe, extremely distressing)
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My cooking skills are so woeful that even the smoke detector applauds when I'm done.”
“The company's woeful financial situation led to massive layoffs.”
“His woeful attempt at singing made the neighbors call the police, thinking someone was in distress.”
“The woeful state of the old building made it unsafe for occupation.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
Related
Want to master 19,000+ words?
Sign up free for flashcards & quizzes.