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ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Woe

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /wəʊ/ · Part of speech noun

Quick meaning: Woe is a noun meaning Great sadness or distress; a misfortune causing such sadness.

Meaning

Great sadness or distress; a misfortune causing such sadness.

More Meanings

  1. Calamity, trouble.
  2. A curse; a malediction.
  3. (obsolete) Woeful; sorrowful
  4. (archaic) An exclamation of grief.

Example Sentences

Oh, woe is me!
Soon as thy letters trembling I unclose / That well-known name awakens all my woes.
Thus saying, from her side the fatal key, / Sad instrument of all our woe, she took.
Can there be a woe or curse in all the stores of vengeance equal to the malignity of such a practice?

Word Forms

Synonyms for woe

Depending on context, synonyms include affliction, aggrievance, distress, grief, grievance, hardship.

afflictionaggrievancedistressgriefgrievancehardshipmiseryruthsadnesssorrowundelightvexationwrongbluenesstristessemirthlessbluescrestfallennessdejectiondepressiondespondencydolefulnessdownheartednessdreariheadforlornnessill-beinginfelicitymelancholia

Antonyms for woe

Common opposites include benefit, boon, fortune, joy, laugh, treat.

benefitboonfortunejoylaughtreat

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include woefulness, suffering, heartbreak, sadness, heartache, sorrow.

woefulnesssufferingheartbreaksadnessheartachesorrowgriefmiserydoomplightpitydistressafflictionpainshamescourgecursetroubleadversityevil

Related Dictionary Tools

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Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.