woefully

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• Audio (Southern England):

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Adverb

woefully (comparative more woefully, superlative most woefully)

1. In a woeful manner

   to cry woefully

2. To an unfortunately great extent.

   woefully inadequate

   woefully incapable

   woefully ignorant

   • 1979 December 29, Cindy Stein, “Queers in America's Living Rooms”, in Gay Community News, volume 7, number 23, page 10:

     The attempt at diversity fell woefully short of dispelling straight stereotypes of us.

   • 1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology, Sexuality and the Origins of Culture, London: Rider/Hutchinson & Co., page 219:

     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.

   • 2013 June 18, Simon Romero, “Protests Widen as Brazilians Chide Leaders”, in New York Times, retrieved 21 June 2013:

     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.