˜yÐÄvlog

Advertisement

Advertisement

View synonyms for

woe

[ woh ]

noun

  1. profound grief or distress:

    His woe at the terrible news was almost beyond description.

    Synonyms: , , , ,

    Antonyms:

  2. an affliction or cause of distress:

    She suffered a fall, among her other woes.



interjection

  1. an exclamation of grief, distress, or lamentation.

woe

/ ·Éəʊ /

noun

  1. literary.
    intense grief or misery
  2. often plural affliction or misfortune
  3. woe betide someone
    misfortune will befall someone

    woe betide you if you arrive late

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged†2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

interjection

  1. archaic.
    Alsowoe is me an exclamation of sorrow or distress
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged†2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Discover More

˜yÐÄvlog History and Origins

Origin of woe1

First recorded before 900; Middle English wo (interjection and noun), Old English ·ÉÄå (interjection) ( wellaway ); cognate with Dutch wee, German Weh, Old Norse vei; akin to Latin vae
Discover More

˜yÐÄvlog History and Origins

Origin of woe1

Old English ·ÉÄå, wÇ£; related to Old Saxon, Old High German ·Éŧ, Old Norse vei, Gothic wai, Latin vae, Sanskrit ³Ü±¹Å§; see wail
Discover More

Idioms and Phrases

  1. woe betide, trouble or punishment will come upon (someone) if they take the specified action: Also woe to.

    Woe betide anybody who laughed or continued to talk while he was playing.

    Rules about court reporting are strict, and woe betide those who fall foul of them.

    Woe to the pedestrian who gets in a cyclist's way.

  2. woe is me, (used to lament one's own distress, affliction, or trouble, sometimes humorously):

    Woe is me, for I am ruined!

    Please don't get the wrong impression, thinking this is a “woe is me†story.

Discover More

Synonym Study

See sorrow.
Discover More

Example Sentences

The move comes as Rivian aims to grow its business while facing challenges such as supply chain woes, regulations and consumers wary about spending money amid economic uncertainty.

From

His legal woes clearly didn't harm his political fortunes though.

From

People are generally trying to save money, too, amid all the impending recession talk and existing pricing woes.

From

The department has also sought to ease its transport woes by buying more Ford E350 vans.

From

Furthering Trump’s woes, The Atlantic on Wednesday published a follow-up story that builds upon the first.

From

Advertisement

Related ˜yÐÄvlogs

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement