woefully

adverb

Definition of woefullynext
as in sadly
with feelings of bitterness or grief woefully recounted the many injustices that the family had endured at the hands of the dictator

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of woefully And yet, the league still seems woefully unprepared for everything that comes with her. — Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2026 Strong teachers who adeptly exploit group dynamics may be essential to academic excellence, but this approach is woefully hard to scale. — Mike Goldstein, The Atlantic, 25 June 2026 While America was built to cope with high temperatures, vast areas of Europe remain woefully unprepared. — Taco Engelaar, Fortune, 30 June 2026 The economics of the NBA, his team and their competitors, though, could be setting him up to be woefully undercompensated again. — Dan Woike, New York Times, 15 June 2026 But this year’s increase will almost entirely net out next fiscal year with a one-time cut of $25 million to generate savings for the woefully over-budget Medicaid program. — Katy Golvala, Hartford Courant, 16 May 2026 Our public schools, particularly in poorer school districts, are woefully underfunded. — Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2026 American midsize trucks like the Toyota Tacoma and Ford Ranger can be woefully under-specced for carrying heavy work loads or campers and overlanding gear. — C.c. Weiss may 21, New Atlas, 21 May 2026 Such are the restrictions of a woefully outdated NCAA bylaw that mandates a two-year transition period during which reclassifying programs are ineligible for postseason play. — Tom Layberger, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for woefully
  1. sadly
  2. bitterly
  3. sorrowfully
  4. painfully
  5. hard
Adverb
  • To its sadly unusual credit, each Enola Holmes film has taken on a different social issue to address, albeit at times rather on the nose-edly.
    — Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
  • The Prince of Wales sadly won’t be attending Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce‘s wedding Friday in New York City, but the heir to the British throne nonetheless made sure to offer some royal prestige to events.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 3 July 2026
Definition of sadly
Adverb
  • With a goalkeeping howler and a red card, Marcelo Bielsa’s side self-imploded at the end of a bitterly disappointing tournament.
    — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 30 June 2026
  • And the organization’s internal splinter groups, the Soviet-leaning Weatherman Underground and the Maoist-leaning Progressive Labor faction fought each other bitterly.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 28 June 2026
Definition of bitterly
Adverb
  • Tarun would tease her, and my mother would look sorrowfully toward Kavitha, as if the two of them now shared some womanly burden.
    — Madhuri Vijay, New Yorker, 16 Nov. 2025
Definition of sorrowfully
Adverb
  • Her life remains a poignant reminder that America’s promise of liberty was still painfully incomplete for many who believed in it most.
    — Robin Follman, Oc Register, 4 July 2026
  • But for too many agencies, turning that data into a complete, compliant police report is still painfully manual, time-consuming and prone to error.
    — Matthew Polega, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of painfully
Adverb
  • Buying a first home has never been harder Are first-time home buyers a vanishing breed?
    — Kristin Scharkey, USA Today, 7 July 2026
  • So that’s kind of hard, because last year was a big year for, like, health-wise for my wife.
    — Deputy Entertainment, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
Definition of hard

Browse Nearby Words

woeful
woefully
woefulness
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Cite this Entry

“Woefully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/woefully. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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