pitiable
[pit-ee-uh-buh l]
- evoking or deserving pity; lamentable: pitiable, homeless children.
- evoking or deserving contemptuous pity; miserable; contemptible: a pitiable lack of character.
Origin of pitiable
Synonyms
See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com1, 2. See pitiful.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for pitiably
Historical Examples
I'm so pitiably weak—so much weaker than I ever dreamed I could be.
Red Pepper BurnsGrace S. Richmond
It was not fair to make the comparison by which Professor Theobald suffered so pitiably.
The Daughters of DanausMona Caird
As a girl, a bride, a young matron, she had not shown her lack so pitiably.
Saturday's ChildKathleen Norris
In all but a few of the state agricultural colleges and experiment stations the funds available for books are pitiably small.
He shook so pitiably as he worked that the Cat under the bed felt the tremor of it.
Lords of the HousetopsVarious
pitiable
- exciting or deserving pity or contempt
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for pitiably
pitiable
adj.
mid-15c., "merciful, compassionate," from Old French piteable "compassionate, merciful, pious" (13c.; Modern French pitoyable), from piteer "to pity" (see pity). Meaning "deserving pity" is recorded from late 15c. Related: Pitiably.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper