woe is me
Dramatic cry of suffering
Woe is me is a melodramatic expression of distress or self-pity, now almost always used ironically or humorously: Woe is me, I have to work on Saturday.
The phrase comes from biblical and literary sources where it expressed genuine anguish, but modern usage typically mocks excessive complaining.
- dear meGentle dismay expression
- alasExpression of regret
- folk balladsNarrative songs from oral tradition
- griefIntense sorrow from loss
- despairTotal absence of hope
melancholy · dark night of the soul · lamentation · gnashing of teeth · operatic arias · oh dear · Job · misery · hopelessness · doom and gloom · pity party · anguish · Victorian melodrama · gee · bemoaning · sadness · wahoo · heartache
- Self-Pitywhy me, nobody cares, story of my life, taken for granted, unappreciated
- lamentslamentation, wailing, keen, keening, lament
- mood idiomsbad mood, black mood, dark mood, foul mood, in a mood
woe is mehappy days
Joyful times recalled
bliss · ecstasy · elation · jubilation · cloud nine
woe is mestiff upper lip
Controlled emotional restraint
c'est la vie · such is life · it is what it is · que sera sera · grin and bear it
woe is mehallelujah
Joyful exclamation of gratitude
eureka · no worries · all good · can't complain · hooray