woefully
English edit
Etymology edit
From Middle English wofully, equivalent to woeful + -ly.
Pronunciation edit
Audio (Southern England) (file)
Adverb edit
woefully (comparative more woefully, superlative most woefully)
- In a woeful manner; to an unfortunately great extent.
- woefully inadequate
- woefully underprepared
- woefully incapable
- woefully ignorant
- 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.