piteous
evoking or deserving pity; pathetic: piteous cries for help.
Archaic. compassionate.
Origin of piteous
1synonym study For piteous
Other words for piteous
1 | affecting, moving, distressing, lamentable, woeful, sad, wretched, sorrowful |
Other words from piteous
- pit·e·ous·ly, adverb
- pit·e·ous·ness, noun
- o·ver·pit·e·ous, adjective
- o·ver·pit·e·ous·ly, adverb
- o·ver·pit·e·ous·ness, noun
- un·pit·e·ous, adjective
- un·pit·e·ous·ly, adverb
Words that may be confused with piteous
Words Nearby piteous
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use piteous in a sentence
It was piteous to see how in these intervals his delusions were always shaped by the bitterest experiences of his life.
Ramona | Helen Hunt JacksonHuman and animal cries blended in one piteous appeal for mercy.
A Lost Hero | Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward and Herbert D. WardAnd an answering cry sounded across the lagoon—thin, wailing, piteous.
Three More John Silence Stories | Algernon BlackwoodThe colored woman came running, and with her Grace, who looked at the wan features of the soldier with piteous eyes.
The Courier of the Ozarks | Byron A. DunnHis childhood, except when he could be rocked and sung into sickly sleep, was one long piteous wail.
The History of England from the Accession of James II. | Thomas Babington Macaulay
British Dictionary definitions for piteous
/ (ˈpɪtɪəs) /
exciting or deserving pity
archaic having or expressing pity
Derived forms of piteous
- piteously, adverb
- piteousness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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