Skip to main content
woebegone

woebegone

1 9.6
Looking very sad and worn out
  • adjective
  • /ˈwoʊbɪˌɡɔn/
  • Literature
translation icon : desolado
  • She wore a woebegone expression when she realized she had lost her favorite toy.

Examples

  • Perhaps as a conscious corrective to the suggestion that Kahlua was a consolation prize for losers, EJL used effigies of less woebegone aspect in their next campaign, which features West Mexican twosomes rather than single figures.

    Academic text (2000)
  • Before my eyes, such gentleness descended upon the woebegone landscape to soften the ridges of things, the angles of gestures, the thorny crown of the stones.

    Academic text (1996)
  • You could feel the intensity as Tony tries to help the woebegone Americans.

    Blog text (3)
  • The tourists from Billings, Montana looked woebegone.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • She read The Bride of Lindorf and suddenly it's all woebegone maidens and dramatic deaths.

  • In the foreground stands the forlorn, woebegone temple, neglected, unusable.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • There I was, contemplating my woebegone past and my uncertain future, thinking maybe this would be the day I really would give it one more try, when I glanced down from my perch on the deck of Sally Solana's bayview manor and had an entirely different thought: why the heck is that John Doe near the water's edge choosing to be dead on such a day?

    Fiction book (2001)
  • The construction of this road would serve to bring blessed relief to the woebegone citizens of Piaseczno, for whom the slo-mo grind along Puławska is a twice-daily ordeal.

    Blog text (29)
  • After the storm, the children looked woebegone as they surveyed the damage in their neighborhood.

  • The old, woebegone dog sat by the door, waiting for its owner to return.

Synonyms

melancholy
vswoebegone
37 5.9

Feeling or showing deep sadness

is mainly about outwardly looking miserable rather than inward mood
glum
vswoebegone
23 4.1

Looking or feeling sad and quiet

is stronger, showing obvious misery and exhausted appearance
mopey
vswoebegone
8 4.4

Feeling sad and quiet without much energy

is more visibly worn out and obviously miserable than withdrawn sadness
dejected
vswoebegone
5 4.5

Feeling very sad and not hopeful

is more about visible worn-out and miserable appearance
frowny
vswoebegone
  • Informal
4 7.0

Having a mouth turned down and looking unhappy

describes a full, worn and miserable appearance beyond a simple frown
woeful
vswoebegone
3 6.0

Feeling very sad and showing deep sorrow, like after bad news

is more about the visible, worn-out look than intense sorrow
lugubrious
vswoebegone
  • Literature
3 9.5

Very sad in a way that seems too much and not natural

is a straightforward visible misery without theatrical exaggeration
sad-faced
vswoebegone
1 3.6

Having a sad look on the face

is about overall sadness and a worn physical appearance
careworn
vswoebegone
1 7.7

Having a tired, worried face after a long time of worry or too much work

focuses more on visible misery rather than work-related worry
drawn
vswoebegone
4.9

A face that looks tired, pale, and worried

is broader, adding deep misery not only tension or worry
wan
vswoebegone
7.4

Pale in the face and looking sick or unhappy

adds clear misery and worn-out look beyond just paleness
droppy
vswoebegone
  • UK
7.4

A person or animal with a face that looks sad and tired

is similar but stresses deep misery as well as listlessness

Antonyms

111 1.0

Happy in a way you show with a smile or friendly actions

64 4.1

Shining or glowing brightly, often seeming very happy

How Sad

distraught
86 7.2
miserable
443 1.8
woebegone
  • Literature
1 9.6
downcast
3 4.7
sad
1.0

Surface Forms

woebegone positive

Morphology

woebegone = woe + begone (semi-transparent) = woe + begone

The parts 'woe' and 'begone' signal 'affected by woe', but 'begone' is archaic/rare, so learners may not readily parse the compound.

Etymology

Woebegone is made from woe ('deep sadness') and the old phrase be-gone ('be gone' or 'affected by'), giving the image of someone taken by sorrow. So a woebegone person looks very sad and worn out.