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woebegone

adjective
woe·​be·​gone | \ ˈwƍ-bi-ˌgÈŻn also -ˌgĂ€n How to pronounce woebegone (audio) \

Definition of woebegone

1 : strongly affected with woe : woeful
2a : exhibiting great woe, sorrow, or misery a woebegone expression
b : being in a sorry state woebegone tattered clothes
Other Words from woebegone Synonyms & Antonyms Breaking Down Woebegone More Example Sentences Learn More about woebegone

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Other Words from woebegone

woebegoneness noun

Breaking Down Woebegone

At first glance, woebegone looks like a word that has its meaning backwards; after all, if begone means "to go away," shouldn't woebegone mean "devoid of woe," or "happy"? Not exactly. The word derives from the Middle English phrase wo begon. The wo in this phrase simply means "woe," but begon (deriving from Old English began) is a past participle meaning "beset." Someone who is woebegone, therefore, is beset with woe. Since the early 19th century, the word has also been used to describe things that appear to express sadness, as in "a woebegone face."

Examples of woebegone in a Sentence

His face had a woebegone expression. the most woebegone people that I had ever seen in my life

Recent Examples on the Web

 Sam Darnold’s ignited the hopes of a woebegone franchise, even during an offseason packed with internal tumult. — Albert Breer, SI.com, "How the Colts Are Pushing Forward Without Andrew Luck," 26 Aug. 2019 Hungarian history is a woebegone list of occupations, dashed hopes, and missed opportunities. — AndrĂĄs SzĂĄntĂł, CondĂ© Nast Traveler, "Why Budapest Is Europe's Unlikely Capital of Hedonism," 29 Aug. 2018 Kerr assigns Andre Iguodala to run the morning shootaround and McGee to handle the pregame videosession, and lets various players run tim-out huddles against woebegone Phoenix. — Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, "Fun times throughout Warriors’ championship season," 10 June 2018 Hicks has the right look for a woebegone young woman who doesn’t want to take up a lot of space in the world. — Charles Mcnulty, latimes.com, "'The Color Purple' national tour turns down the wattage — and burns a little less brightly," 30 May 2018 Clevinger's evening ended in favor of his woebegone bullpen, owners of a 5.68 ERA in 109.1 innings. — Chandler Rome, Houston Chronicle, "Astros take series opener against Indians," 18 May 2018 The first two woebegone blue bloods are Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, and Diana, Princess of Wales, the late, sainted wife of Charles. — Tunku Varadarajan, WSJ, "‘The Duchess’ Review: How to Survive a Royal Romance," 17 May 2018 Dear Magic fans, another woebegone season is ending but do not despair. — David Whitley, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Magic could be worth cheering in brave new eWorld," 10 Apr. 2018 America’s frackers need only look at the country’s woebegone coalminers to catch a glimpse of their fate in a distant post-oil future. — The Economist, "Welcome an electric world. Worry about the transition," 15 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'woebegone.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of woebegone

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for woebegone

Middle English wo begon, from wo, noun + begon, past participle of begon to go about, beset, from Old English begān, from be- + gān to go — more at go entry 1

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More Definitions for woebegone

woebegone

adjective
How to pronounce woebegone (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of woebegone

: looking or feeling very sad

See the full definition for woebegone in the English Language Learners Dictionary

More from Merriam-Webster on woebegone

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with woebegone

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for woebegone

Nglish: Translation of woebegone for Spanish Speakers

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