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
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Recent Examples of woefully
But for an overwhelming majority of residents, RideSD’s dream is overshadowed by the reality of a woefully inadequate transit system and our county’s immutable geography.
—
U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
The minerals Kajumba and hundreds of thousands of impoverished Congolese were digging up allowed the rest of the world to enjoy the benefits of electricity, but the benefits to the people of Congo were woefully limited.
—Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026
Advertisement Yet most companies remain woefully unprepared.
—Bobby Ghosh, Time, 18 Jan. 2026
Georgia’s emergency management officials say the state’s 911 system is woefully out of date.
—Adam Beam, AJC.com, 13 Jan. 2026
In the first half, the defensive activity and competitive spirit were far better against the league’s best team, a night after Miami came up woefully short in both of those areas against the league’s worst team.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 12 Jan. 2026
California’s political watchdog is stretched thin Ethics and transparency advocates say California’s political regulator has not kept pace with ballooning campaign spending in the state and is woefully understaffed.
—Nicole Nixon, Sacbee.com, 11 Jan. 2026
Legend always told us that Disneyland was woefully unprepared for opening day.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 9 Jan. 2026
The attack on Venezuela and the capture of its President, the most consequential foreign-policy act of this Administration, has been impeccably planned and woefully undertheorized.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2026
U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
The minerals Kajumba and hundreds of thousands of impoverished Congolese were digging up allowed the rest of the world to enjoy the benefits of electricity, but the benefits to the people of Congo were woefully limited.
—Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026
Advertisement Yet most companies remain woefully unprepared.
—Bobby Ghosh, Time, 18 Jan. 2026
Georgia’s emergency management officials say the state’s 911 system is woefully out of date.
—Adam Beam, AJC.com, 13 Jan. 2026
In the first half, the defensive activity and competitive spirit were far better against the league’s best team, a night after Miami came up woefully short in both of those areas against the league’s worst team.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 12 Jan. 2026
California’s political watchdog is stretched thin Ethics and transparency advocates say California’s political regulator has not kept pace with ballooning campaign spending in the state and is woefully understaffed.
—Nicole Nixon, Sacbee.com, 11 Jan. 2026
Legend always told us that Disneyland was woefully unprepared for opening day.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 9 Jan. 2026
The attack on Venezuela and the capture of its President, the most consequential foreign-policy act of this Administration, has been impeccably planned and woefully undertheorized.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for woefully
Adverb
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Victoria won three Grammys at the 2024 awards ceremony — Best New Artist, Best R&B Album and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical — but sadly, the category Hazel was in didn't earn the mother-daughter duo a golden gramophone.—
Diana Pearl,
PEOPLE,
1 Feb. 2026
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The urge to brand those of opposing views as evil and out to destroy the country are too great to resist, sadly.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
29 Jan. 2026
Adverb
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Another cold front bringing bitterly cold temperatures is expected to hit the Dallas-Fort Worth area this weekend, and temperatures could plunge into the teens Saturday morning with a potential for wind chill in the single-digits, according to Prater.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 Jan. 2026
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After a winter storm covered the commonwealth in snow and ice, much of Kentucky will face bitterly cold temperatures throughout the week, according to the latest forecast from the National Weather Service in Louisville.—
Caroline Neal,
Louisville Courier Journal,
27 Jan. 2026
Adverb
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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
Adverb
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Ludo Lefebvre echoed the urgency, pointing to the painfully deliberate pace of the recovery.—
Michelle Edgar,
Daily News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
One of those situations was painfully basic.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
25 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
Graham, in particular, has been on a war path over the negotiations, accusing Republicans of not fighting hard enough to reclaim the narrative on immigration after the death of Alex Pretti last weekend.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
31 Jan. 2026
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County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath hit back hard, telling Bass on X that the county created the new agency because the existing one — which is partly overseen by Bass appointees — was incapable of tracking its spending.—
David Zahniser,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Woefully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/woefully. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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