Word
woe
US/ˈwoʊ/
UK/wˈəʊ/
Countable & uncountable
Definition
n. a feeling of great sadness or suffering. It can also mean the problems and troubles that someone is facing.
n. intense sorrow or distress; alternatively, a state of misfortune or trouble. Often used in the plural to describe a collection of difficulties.
Examples
“The old songs tell stories of love and woe.”
“The company's financial woes began when the global market for their main product collapsed.”
“The poet captures the profound woe of a nation torn apart by years of internal conflict and economic hardship.”
Examples
simple
“The old songs tell stories of love and woe.”
contextual
“The company's financial woes began when the global market for their main product collapsed.”
complex
“The poet captures the profound woe of a nation torn apart by years of internal conflict and economic hardship.”
Usage
Commonly used in the plural ('woes') when referring to specific problems or economic difficulties.
Real-World Examples
“Similar overcrowding woes can now be seen in the Scottish Highlands.” “The industry's ongoing problems have weighed heavily on the world's second largest economy as several other major developers faced financial woes.” Etymology
From Middle English wo, wei, wa, from Old English wā, wǣ, from Proto-West Germanic wai (interjection), from Proto-Germanic wai (interjection), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wáy (interjection). Cognate with Dutch wee, German Weh, weh, Yiddish וויי (vey), Danish, Norn, Norwegian, Swedish ve, Faroese and Icelandic vei, Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌹 (wai), Catalan, Italian, and Portuguese guai, Romanian vai, Spanish guay, Latin vae, Ancient Greek οὐαί (ouaí), Albanian vaj, Latvian vai, Lithuanian vai̇̃, Bulgarian уви́ (uví), Russian увы́ (uvý), Serbo-Croatian avaj, Persian وای (vây), Armenian վայ (vay).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
Idioms
01. woe betide
02. woe to
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
- アルファベット
- 読み方の一覧 →
QR code
englishreference.com/q/woe