Synonyms for woeful
- adjective
Most common
pathetic pitiful deplorable pitiable disconsolate doleful lamentable
Synonyms by meaning
Adjective
1. Wretched — wretched; paltry; poor
wretched, deplorable, pitiable, pathetic, pitiful, lousy, shoddy, shameful, execrable, shabby, loathsome, sordid, despicable, filthy, contemptible, vile, outrageous, inferior, reprehensible, worthless, blameworthy, scurvy
2. Dismal — full of woe; sorrowful; distressed with grief or calamity
dismal, doleful, disconsolate, sorrowful, forlorn, piteous, dispirited, lugubrious, dreary, bleak, unhappy, low, cheerless, mournful, low-spirited, joyless, dejected, melancholy, downcast, plaintive, desolate, grief-stricken
3. Lamentable — lamentable, deplorable
lamentable, rueful, sad, heart-breaking, depressing, grievous, regrettable, saddening, distressing, heart-rending
4. Calamitous — bringing calamity, distress, or affliction
Definitions
- adj. 1
Full of woe; sorrowful; distressed with grief or calamity.
- adj. 2
Bringing calamity, distress, or affliction.
a woeful lack of restraint
- adj. 3
Lamentable, deplorable.
- adj. 4
Wretched; paltry; poor.
Related words
- Word family
- woefully woefulness
Example sentences
- pathetic The education in that institute is simply pathetic.
- pitiful The pitiful tale fetched tears from the girl.
- deplorable The roads of this city are in deplorable condition.
- pitiable Jason is no bad guy, but rather a pitiable loser.
- disconsolate A wilder or more disconsolate dwelling it was perhaps difficult to conceive.
- doleful My dog died yesterday, so I'm quite doleful.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| woeful | rising | |
| pathetic | rising | |
| pitiful | rising | |
| deplorable | falling | |
| pitiable | steady | |
| disconsolate | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 3 letters
- low1, sad1
- 4 letters
- dire1, vile1
- 5 letters
- bleak1, lousy2
- 6 letters
- filthy2, shabby2, dismal2, dreary2, shoddy2, sordid2, scurvy, rueful2
- 7 letters
- unhappy3, pitiful3, forlorn2, joyless, doleful2, piteous
- 8 letters
- pathetic3, inferior4, shameful2, wretched2, desolate3, grievous2, dejected3, mournful2, downcast2, pitiable4
- 9 letters
- worthless2, loathsome2, sorrowful3, plaintive2, saddening3, execrable4, cheerless
- 10 letters
- outrageous3, depressing3, disastrous3, despicable4, melancholy4, deplorable4, lamentable4, calamitous4, dispirited4, lugubrious4
- 11 letters
- distressing3, regrettable4, blameworthy
- 12 letters
- contemptible4, disconsolate
- 13 letters
- reprehensible5
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (lousy2 = 2 syllables).