as in pains
a state of great suffering of body or mind
a tale of misery and woe
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Recent Examples of woes
Los Angeles leaders, mired in budget woes, see a way to boost city tax revenue thanks to an Olympic-sized rush of tourism.
—
Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 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
The poor results added to Peloton’s woes.
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 11 Feb. 2026
But how much of AA’s woes are actually Isom’s fault?
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 10 Feb. 2026
The Lakers cleaned up their first-half turnover woes – OKC scored 20 points off of 10 Lakers turnovers before halftime – and only produced five in the second half, but the Thunder (41-13) won the fourth quarter to put an end to the Lakers’ three-game winning streak.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 10 Feb. 2026
As a folky slowcore album discussing childhood woes with straightforward but descriptive songwriting, III doesn’t do much to break away from its obvious influences, chief among them Mark Kozelek.
—Billie Bugara, Pitchfork, 10 Feb. 2026
And in the latest complication in Cook County’s ongoing property tax woes, about $175 million in excess money was sent to taxing bodies that weren’t expecting it.
—Chicago Tribune, 9 Feb. 2026
Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 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
The poor results added to Peloton’s woes.
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 11 Feb. 2026
But how much of AA’s woes are actually Isom’s fault?
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 10 Feb. 2026
The Lakers cleaned up their first-half turnover woes – OKC scored 20 points off of 10 Lakers turnovers before halftime – and only produced five in the second half, but the Thunder (41-13) won the fourth quarter to put an end to the Lakers’ three-game winning streak.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 10 Feb. 2026
As a folky slowcore album discussing childhood woes with straightforward but descriptive songwriting, III doesn’t do much to break away from its obvious influences, chief among them Mark Kozelek.
—Billie Bugara, Pitchfork, 10 Feb. 2026
And in the latest complication in Cook County’s ongoing property tax woes, about $175 million in excess money was sent to taxing bodies that weren’t expecting it.
—Chicago Tribune, 9 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for woes
Noun
-
White southerners took great pains to keep track of men and women like Henry Fordham.—
Eugene Robinson,
The Atlantic,
3 Feb. 2026
-
My adolescence was an ordinary one, its joys and pains small.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Hadi’s exceptional attention gives cinematic identity to collective artisanal energy, to the life force of care and devotion that stands outside the agonies of politics, to the spirit that endures a regime and outlives it.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
This week’s massive winter storm dumped more than a foot of snow on at least 19 states, including those like Texas and Tennessee that are less prepared to deal with the miseries of winter weather.—
Amy Feldman,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
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The victims of prejudice and inequality are always the best guardians of the ramparts that sustain those miseries.—
Cressida Leyshon,
New Yorker,
23 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Woes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/woes. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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