as in pains
a state of great suffering of body or mind
a tale of misery and woe
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Recent Examples of woes
For the House, new Minority Leader Jarvis Caldwell, a Colorado Springs Republican, likewise tied the state's woes to the streak of unified Democratic control of its government.
—
Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 14 Jan. 2026
New England’s winter energy woes are driven both by temperature and the fact that this region is the last stop on the nation’s natural gas pipeline system.
—Ella Nilsen, CNN Money, 14 Jan. 2026
When the protests, initially spurred by economic woes, began in late December, Refael consistently got answers.
—Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2026
The economic woes of average Americans don’t seem to be hitting Delta’s profits, though.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 13 Jan. 2026
The Port of Portland had long sought a partner that would be able to keep the terminal afloat, with the gateway experiencing financial woes that led port management to consider closing the terminal entirely as early as April 2024.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 12 Jan. 2026
Houston tallied 408 yards of offense, compared to 175 from Pittsburgh, which could not stop its playoff woes, which have spanned nearly a decade.
—January 12, CBS News, 12 Jan. 2026
Years of under-enrollment and, more recently, deep financial woes led District 65 to consider shuttering schools by the end of the 2025-26 school year as part of its ongoing Structural Deficit Reduction Plan.
—Shun Graves, Chicago Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
The 49ers’ defensive woes are well-documented.
—Matt Barrows, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for woes
Noun
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In fact, Williams took great pains to establish that his primary objective is building the Terps (7-7, 0-3 Big Ten), not tearing down a 21-year-old prospect, the Bears or the sport’s governing body.—
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Those in their fifties and beyond require the same amount of sleep as younger adults—and may actually benefit from sleeping more to offset nightly wake-ups from aches and pains, medication side effects, or dealing with the need to urinate more frequently in the middle of the night.—
Noun
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This is a childhood that had all its ordinariness burned out of it by the linking of even seemingly trivial gestures (an offering of candy, a bath, a swim, the dust in a corner of a room) to an entire array of physical and mental agonies.—
Noun
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The victims of prejudice and inequality are always the best guardians of the ramparts that sustain those miseries.—
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Falling support in Gaza Palestinian public pressure on Hamas has risen as the miseries of war have mounted.—
Cite this Entry
“Woes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/woes. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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