Dictionary

woefully en · ADV

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Middle English wofully, equivalent to woeful + -ly.

Meanings

1. In a woeful manner
   • to cry woefully
2. To an unfortunately great extent.
   • In our broken culture those who have experienced the training of the yogic ashram are often woefully ignorant in the ways of the university, and vice versa. 1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology, Sexuality and the Origins of Culture, London: Rider/Hutchinson & Co., page 219:
   • woefully inadequate
   • woefully ignorant
   • In a convulsion that has caught many in Brazil and beyond by surprise, waves of protesters denounced their leaders for dedicating so many resources to cultivating Brazil’s global image by building stadiums for international events, when basic services like education and health care remain woefully inadequate. 2013 June 18, Simon Romero, “Protests Widen as Brazilians Chide Leaders”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 11 Aug 2020, retrieved 21 Jun 2013:
   • woefully incapable
   • For international services, London's High Speed 1 route to the Channel Tunnel remains woefully underused. 2025 April 16, Philip Haigh, “Competition hots up on the Channel Tunnel route”, in RAIL, number 1033, page 50:
   • The attempt at diversity fell woefully short of dispelling straight stereotypes of us. 1979 December 29, Cindy Stein, “Queers in America's Living Rooms”, in Gay Community News, volume 7, number 23, page 10:

Forms