Synonyms for

Woe

Verb / wəʊ / Another word for woe — explore alternatives below. For syllable breakdowns and pronunciation, see this word on Syllablesworld.

Definition

deep distress or misery

Synonyms & similar words

suffering woefulness anguish distress grief sorrow misery sadness woefulness desolation melancholy heartache affliction regret unhappiness despair mourning lamentation bitterness dejection disappointment trouble

Synonyms by register

Formal

suffering misery adversity calamity

Informal

trouble grief sadness blues

Literary

dolor anguish sorrow

Antonyms

joy happiness pleasure delight cheer gaiety bliss

Common collocations

  • great woe
  • deep woe
  • woe is me
  • full of woe
  • endless woe
  • woe and despair
  • woe betide

Word family

noun woe
adjective woeful

Usage note

Woe is a somewhat archaic and literary term for great sorrow or distress. It is often used in exclamations like 'woe is me'.

Example sentences

  1. She felt great woe when her goldfish died.
  2. The farmer's crops were ruined, bringing him much woe.
  3. The knight went on a quest to end the kingdom's woe.
  4. The news of the war brought woe to the entire country.
  5. She sang a song of woe to express her sadness.

Quotes

  • Woe to the man whose heart has not learned while young to hope, to love - and to put its trust in life.
  • Woe to that nation whose literature is cut short by the intrusion of force. This is not merely interference with freedom of the press but the sealing up of a nation's heart, the excision of its memory.
  • Woe to him who seeks to please rather than to appal.

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