Slang dictionary
woe is me
[woh iz mee]
What does woe is me mean?
Woe is me is an over-dramatic, often comical way to express sadness or disappointment at an unfair situation. The phrase carries such connotations because of its archaic-sounding grammatical structure.
Where does woe is me come from?
Examples of woe is me
Who uses woe is me?
The connotation of the phrase woe is me changes most notably depending on whether the speaker is directing the expression at themselves or at someone else.
When someone says woe is me about themselves, they are most likely using the phrase in a comical way. They might respond to an insignificant problem—if not highlight relative privilege and luxury—with woe is me as a playful overreaction. Someone could use woe is me in a similar way to “first world problems,” (e.g., Should I get the black iPhone or the rose gold one? I can’t pick. Woe is me!). In some situations, woe is me can also be used to sarcastically belittle someone else’s “misery” in a similar tongue-in-cheek way.
Saying that someone else has a woe-is-me attitude or personality is saying that they are too self-pitying, succumb to a negative situation, act like a victim, or expect success to be handed to them. Most speakers who attribute a woe-is-me attitude to someone else are using the phrase to disparage their perceived weakness or softness.
Note
This is not meant to be a formal definition of woe is me like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of woe is me that will help our users expand their word mastery.