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piteous

[ pit-ee-uhs ]
/ ˈpɪt i əs /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR piteous ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

evoking or deserving pity; pathetic: piteous cries for help.
Archaic. compassionate.

Words related to piteous

deplorable, distressing, doleful, dolorous, grievous, heartbreaking, heartrending, lamentable, melancholy, mournful, moving, pitiful, plaintive, poignant, poor, rueful, ruined, sad, sorrowful, woeful

Words nearby piteous

pitchout, pitchpole, pitchpot, pitchstone, pitchy, piteous, pitesti, pitfall, pith, pith helmet, pith ray

Origin of piteous

1250–1300; Middle English; replacing pitous < Old French < Medieval Latin pietōsus. See pity, -ous

OTHER WORDS FROM piteous

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH piteous

piteous pitiable pitiful (see synonym study at pitiful)

synonym study for piteous

1. See pitiful.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for piteous

British Dictionary definitions for piteous

piteous
/ (ˈpɪtɪəs) /

adjective

exciting or deserving pity
archaic having or expressing pity

Derived forms of piteous

piteously, adverbpiteousness, 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