woe
noun
[ wəʊ ]
• great sorrow or distress (often used hyperbolically).
• "the Everton tale of woe continued"
Similar:
misery,
sorrow,
distress,
wretchedness,
sadness,
unhappiness,
heartache,
heartbreak,
despondency,
desolation,
despair,
dejection,
depression,
gloom,
melancholy,
adversity,
misfortune,
disaster,
affliction,
suffering,
hardship,
pain,
agony,
grief,
anguish,
torment,
dolour,
Origin:
natural exclamation of lament: recorded as wā in Old English and found in several Germanic languages.
woe betide
• used humorously to warn (someone) that they will be in trouble if they do a specified thing.
• "woe betide anyone wearing the wrong colour!"
