woe 1 of 2

interjection

ˈwō How to pronounce woe (audio)
Definition of woenext
as in boo
used to express sorrow or distress ah, woe, with the death of the last of my siblings I am alone in this world!

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

woe

2 of 2

noun

1
as in distress
a state of great suffering of body or mind a tale of misery and woe

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sorrow
deep sadness especially for the loss of someone or something loved the incessant woe that has haunted her since the death of her husband

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word woe different from other nouns like it?

Some common synonyms of woe are anguish, grief, regret, and sorrow. While all these words mean "distress of mind," woe is deep or inconsolable grief or misery.

cries of woe echoed throughout the bombed city

When is it sensible to use anguish instead of woe?

The meanings of anguish and woe largely overlap; however, anguish suggests torturing grief or dread.

the anguish felt by the parents of the kidnapped child

When is grief a more appropriate choice than woe?

The words grief and woe can be used in similar contexts, but grief implies poignant sorrow for an immediate cause.

the inexpressible grief of the bereaved parents

Where would regret be a reasonable alternative to woe?

While the synonyms regret and woe are close in meaning, regret implies pain caused by deep disappointment, fruitless longing, or unavailing remorse.

nagging regret for missed opportunities

When can sorrow be used instead of woe?

While in some cases nearly identical to woe, sorrow implies a sense of loss or a sense of guilt and remorse.

a family united in sorrow upon the patriarch's death

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 woe
Noun
And woe be to me if I so much as breath on the crossword. —R. Eric Thomas, Denver Post, 11 Feb. 2026 This year’s final rodeo in Park City seemed marked by the uncertainty generated by ongoing industry woes—massive studio mergers, job insecurity, and the growing use of AI during production, among others. —Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026 San Jose city leaders are moving ahead with a June ballot measure to raise hotel taxes, seeking to generate millions of dollars for critical services amid budgetary woes. —Devan Patel, Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2026 But how much of AA’s woes are actually Isom’s fault? —Diane Brady, Fortune, 10 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for woe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for woe
  1. distress
  2. sorrow
  3. agony
  4. anguish
  5. misery
  6. grief
  7. aw
  8. pain
Noun
  • Office conversions to residential, especially in New York City, are also helping mitigate some of the distress.
    — Diana Olick, CNBC, 11 Feb. 2026
  • Only four districts face significant fiscal distress — a decline from prior years.
    — John Manly, Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2026
Definition of distress
Noun
  • Buckley navigates the film in elemental sorrow without sentimentality, delivering what many consider the performance of the year, and undoubtedly her career so far.
    — Clayton Davis, Variety, 11 Feb. 2026
  • Now, their families are turning sorrow into service.
    — Ashley Paul, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
Definition of sorrow
Noun
  • Laocoön and His Sons, an exquisite marble sculpture of the legendary Trojan priest writhing in agony as he’s attacked by sea-serpents, was first unearthed in the early sixteenth-century, the only missing piece his right arm.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Feb. 2026
  • Steven McDonald, a fallen hero of the department who channeled the agony of three devastating gunshot wounds into an enduring message of peace and forgiveness.
    — Barry Williams, New York Daily News, 10 Feb. 2026
Definition of agony
Noun
  • Even now, more than 40 years later, the lasting image of her career is of Decker laying on the track in anguish and tears after colliding with Zola Budd in the 1984 Olympic 3,000-meter run.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 Feb. 2026
  • Néfissa cries loudly and with anguish about her son, but refuses to acknowledge his truth.
    — Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026
Definition of anguish
Noun
  • Embracing misery is one kind of defiance; demanding to be heard is another.
    — Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2026
  • This year, more than usual, a group of Florida lawmakers are clinging to a Biblical-sounding principle — and doing their best to ensure that the wages of sin are, at the very least, misery.
    — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Feb. 2026
Definition of misery
Noun
  • In the r/MyBoyfriendisAI subreddit, many users posted about their grief.
    — Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 14 Feb. 2026
  • As her power-hungry characters go through the five stages of grief, denial is the hardest one to let go of.
    — Marta Balaga, Variety, 14 Feb. 2026
Definition of grief
Interjection
  • In the north of the British Isles, people sometimes combined ye, a second person plural pronoun for you, along with aw, meaning all.
    — Bill Chappell, NPR, 16 July 2025
  • And then … aw, just cue up the video player for the epic Francisco Lindor homer that won this thing!
    — Jayson Stark, The Athletic, 27 Dec. 2024
Definition of aw
Noun
  • Personality traits such as mental toughness, discipline, high pain tolerance and persistence may also lead to worsened eating disorder risk and behaviors in athletes.
    — Emily Hemendinger, The Conversation, 13 Feb. 2026
  • And we are bound by ties of community, having attended the same summer camps, showed up at each other’s family celebrations, and felt each other’s pain.
    — Lindsay Baach Friedmann, Time, 13 Feb. 2026
Definition of pain

Browse Nearby Words

wobbly
woe
woebegone
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Cite this Entry

“Woe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/woe. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.

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