Woeful

Pronunciation: /ˈwoʊfəl/

Definitions of woeful

adjective expressing or showing sorrow or distress

Example Sentences

A1 The woeful puppy looked up at me with sad eyes.

A2 The woeful expression on her face told me she was upset.

B1 The woeful state of the economy has left many people struggling to make ends meet.

B2 Despite their best efforts, the team's performance was woeful and they lost the match.

C1 The woeful lack of resources in the community has led to a decline in overall well-being.

C2 The woeful conditions in the prison were brought to light by a recent investigative report.

Examples of woeful in a Sentence

formal The company reported woeful financial results for the quarter.

informal Her cooking skills are woeful, she burns everything.

slang I had a woeful time at the party last night, it was so boring.

figurative The artist's attempt at painting was woeful, lacking in creativity and skill.

Grammatical Forms of woeful

• past tense: woefuled
• plural: woeful
• comparative: more woeful
• superlative: most woeful
• present tense: woeful
• future tense: will be woeful
• perfect tense: have been woeful
• continuous tense: being woeful
• singular: woeful
• positive degree: woeful
• infinitive: to be woeful
• gerund: being woeful
• participle: woeful

Origin and Evolution of woeful

First Known Use: 1250 year

Language of Origin: Old English

Story behind the word: The word 'woeful' originated from the Old English word 'woful' which is derived from the Proto-Germanic word 'wofulaz' meaning full of woe or sorrow.

Evolution of the word: Over time, the word 'woeful' has retained its original meaning of expressing sorrow or distress, but its usage has expanded to describe something pitiful or lamentable.