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woe

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noun

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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
Baking soda has long been used as a natural remedy for treating a variety of gardening woes, like pests, weeds, and fungus. Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 May 2025 The loss of Alex Bregman for the foreseeable future to a severe right quad injury only makes the team’s offensive woes more dire. Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 27 May 2025 The firm’s woes are at odds with growing demand in the region: BEV registrations rose by more than a quarter in April, while overall car sales were relatively unchanged. Niamh Rowe, Quartz, 27 May 2025 Noisette, a fine-dining restaurant in LoHi that specialized in French cuisine, will close next month amid financial woes, its team confirmed Wednesday. Miguel Otárola, Denver Post, 22 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for woe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for woe
Interjection
  • Williams also recalled witnessing the Super Bowl crowd boo Taylor Swift when she was shown on the jumbotron cheering on her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce.
    Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 17 Apr. 2025
  • Highlights include a costume parade (for kids and parents), a Purim story and boo Haman and songs.
    Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Mar. 2024
Noun
  • The report highlights research on young adults that shows that trans students who participate in collegiate sports are less likely to experience distress, self-harm and suicidal thoughts.
    Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 6 June 2025
  • That places an onerous burden on Henson, doing her considerable best trying to sustain a role whose Job-like travails crank the distress level to 11 too soon.
    Dennis Harvey, Variety, 6 June 2025
Noun
  • To date, the Facebook post about her story has garnered more than 19,000 reactions, sparking a wave of sorrow and outrage from animal lovers across the country.
    Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 June 2025
  • Prefaced by a host of personal disasters—the death of her mother’s onetime partner Mary Norcross, her own hospitalization for digestive problems, her mother’s painful shingles and neuralgia—the decade of the 1940s brought sorrow.
    Susan Gubar June 9, Literary Hub, 9 June 2025
Noun
  • And that gave him some kind of legitimacy after 40 years of agony, derided by the music press.
    Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 11 June 2025
  • For more than a year, the Perry family waited in agony for answers.
    Christina Coulter, People.com, 7 June 2025
Noun
  • Among the thousands left in anguish is Sasha Escalante, a 44-year-old Venezuelan radio producer living in Miami.
    Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 5 June 2025
  • Criminalizing them can lead to extended mental anguish.
    Sophie Clark, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 June 2025
Noun
  • In a season full of misery and a historic number of losses, there was plenty of reason to celebrate Colorado’s first walk-off win.
    Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 12 June 2025
  • Greta’s missed opportunity to understand the deep roots of this misery is another lesson lost to the world.
    Boston Herald editorial staff, Boston Herald, 11 June 2025
Noun
  • Our expectations are different, and then the grief can be a lot more, and the anger can be a lot more.
    Charles Trepany, USA Today, 7 June 2025
  • Plot details are being kept under wraps, but the series is described as an ensemble drama with comedy and heart about sisterhood, nature vs nurture, complicated family dynamics, and grief.
    Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 6 June 2025
Interjection
  • Studies of fathers have generated some alarmist headlines over the years, and Hrdy has kindly collated them: no dad joke: fatherhood shrinks the brain; aw, nuts!
    Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 30 Mar. 2024
  • 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

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Cite this Entry

“Woe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/woe. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.

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