Phrase guide

oh well

intj · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈəʊ wɛl/
  • General-American: /ˈoʊ wɛl/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

intj

Meaning 1

An expression of mild disappointment or resignation: too bad; it's a pity; what can you do; it is what it is.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

Examples

  • I didn’t know the store closes at five on Thursdays. Oh well, I’ll have to come back tomorrow.
  • Oh well, I guess.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ah well, alas

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

29 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Dutch: ach ja — ''expression of mild disappointment or resignation''
  • Finnish: no jaa — ''expression of mild disappointment or resignation''
  • French: tant pis — ''expression of mild disappointment or resignation''
  • French: bah — ''expression of mild disappointment or resignation''
  • French: pas grave — ''expression of mild disappointment or resignation''
  • French: dommage — ''expression of mild disappointment or resignation''
  • German: tja — ''expression of mild disappointment or resignation''
  • German: na ja — ''expression of mild disappointment or resignation''
  • German: ach ja — ''expression of mild disappointment or resignation''
  • Hungarian: na mindegy — ''expression of mild disappointment or resignation''
  • Italian: ah beh — ''expression of mild disappointment or resignation''
  • Italian: ah be' — ''expression of mild disappointment or resignation''
  • Japanese: 仕方がない (shikata ga nai) — ''expression of mild disappointment or resignation''
  • Japanese: しょうがない (shō ga nai) — ''expression of mild disappointment or resignation''
  • Polish: cóż — ''expression of mild disappointment or resignation''
  • Portuguese: enfim — ''expression of mild disappointment or resignation''
  • Russian: мдэ (mdɛ) — ''expression of mild disappointment or resignation''
  • Russian: ну да ладно (nu da ladno) — ''expression of mild disappointment or resignation''
  • Russian: ну и фиг с ним (nu i fig s nim) — ''expression of mild disappointment or resignation''
  • Slovak: čo už — ''expression of mild disappointment or resignation''
  • Spanish: y bueno — ''expression of mild disappointment or resignation''
  • Spanish: qué mal — ''expression of mild disappointment or resignation''
  • Spanish: qué lástima — ''expression of mild disappointment or resignation''
  • Spanish: ni modo — ''expression of mild disappointment or resignation''
  • Spanish: oh bueno — ''expression of mild disappointment or resignation''
  • Swedish: aja — ''expression of mild disappointment or resignation''
  • Swedish: jaja — ''expression of mild disappointment or resignation''
  • Swedish: nåja — ''expression of mild disappointment or resignation''
  • Tibetan: ཨ་ཡ — ''expression of mild disappointment or resignation''