woeful

woeful
[[t]wo͟ʊfʊl[/t]]
1) ADJ-GRADED If someone or something is woeful, they are very sad.

...a woeful ballad.

Derived words:
woefully ADV-GRADED ADV with v

He said woefully: `I love my country, but it does not give a damn about me.'

2) ADJ-GRADED: usu ADJ n (emphasis) You can use woeful to emphasize that something is very bad or undesirable.

Such attitudes are the product of woeful ignorance.

...the woeful state of the economy.

Derived words:
woefully ADV-GRADED usu ADV adj, also ADV before v

Public expenditure on the arts is woefully inadequate...

Most of the ships were woefully short of ammunition.


English dictionary. 2008.

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  • Woeful — Woe ful, Woful Wo ful, a. 1. Full of woe; sorrowful; distressed with grief or calamity; afflicted; wretched; unhappy; sad. [1913 Webster] How many woeful widows left to bow To sad disgrace! Daniel. [1913 Webster] 2. Bringing calamity, distress,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • woeful — index blameworthy, dire, disconsolate, lamentable, lugubrious, regrettable Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • woeful — c.1300, afflicted with sorrow, from WOE (Cf. woe) + FUL (Cf. ful). Weakened sense of very bad recorded by 1610s. Related: Woefully; woefulness …   Etymology dictionary

  • woeful — [adj] terrible, sad afflicted, agonized, anguished, appalling, awful, bad, calamitous, catastrophic, cruel, deplorable, disappointing, disastrous, disconsolate, disgraceful, distressing, doleful, dreadful, feeble, gloomy, grieving, grievous, grim …   New thesaurus

  • woeful — ► ADJECTIVE 1) full of sorrow; miserable. 2) very bad; deplorable. DERIVATIVES woefully adverb …   English terms dictionary

  • woeful — [wō′fəl] adj. 1. full of woe; sad; mournful 2. of, causing, or involving woe 3. pitiful; wretched; miserable: Also Archaic woful woefully adv. woefulness n …   English World dictionary

  • woeful — woefully, adv. woefulness, n. /woh feuhl/, adj. 1. full of woe; wretched; unhappy: a woeful situation. 2. affected with, characterized by, or indicating woe: woeful melodies. 3. of wretched quality; sorry; poor: a woeful collection of paintings.… …   Universalium

  • woeful — adjective 1) her face was woeful See woebegone 2) a woeful ballad Syn: tragic, sad, miserable, cheerless, gloomy, sorry, pitiful, pathetic, traumatic, depressing, heartbreaking …   Thesaurus of popular words

  • woeful — also woful adjective Date: 14th century 1. full of woe ; grievous < woeful prophecies > 2. involving or bringing woe 3. lamentably bad or serious ; deplorable < woeful ignorance > • woefully …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • woeful — woe|ful [ˈwəufəl US ˈwou ] adj 1.) very bad or serious = ↑deplorable ▪ a woeful lack of information 2.) literary very sad = ↑pathetic ▪ woeful eyes >woefully adv ▪ woefully inadequate facilities …   Dictionary of contemporary English

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