Word
woefully
Phoneticswoe·ful·ly
US/ˈwoʊfəɫi/
UK/wˈəʊfəli/
Definition
adv. in a way that shows you are very unhappy, worried, or not doing well. It can also describe something that is much too small or not enough for what you need.
adv. in a manner that expresses deep distress, regret, or a lack of adequacy. Often used to describe a state of being insufficient or inadequate for a specific purpose.
Examples
“The team performed woefully in the final match.”
“The charity is woefully underfunded and cannot provide enough food for the growing population.”
“The government's response to the crisis was woefully inadequate, failing to address the immediate needs of the displaced families while the situation continued to deteriorate.”
Examples
simple
“The team performed woefully in the final match.”
contextual
“The charity is woefully underfunded and cannot provide enough food for the growing population.”
complex
“The government's response to the crisis was woefully inadequate, failing to address the immediate needs of the displaced families while the situation continued to deteriorate.”
Real-World Examples
“There were so many passes that were woefully off target, including one from Kinsky that he sent straight to Dewsbury-Hall on the edge of his area.” Etymology
From Middle English wofully, equivalent to woeful + -ly.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/woefully