pitiful
Americanadjective
-
evoking or deserving pity.
a pitiful fate.
- Synonyms:
- pathetic, woeful, deplorable, lamentable
- Antonyms:
- delightful
-
evoking or deserving contempt by smallness, poor quality, etc..
pitiful attempts.
- Synonyms:
- despicable, vile, base, low, mean, deplorable
- Antonyms:
- honorable
-
Archaic. full of pity; compassionate.
adjective
-
arousing or deserving pity
-
arousing or deserving contempt
-
archaic full of pity or compassion
Related Words
Pitiful, pitiable, piteous apply to that which excites pity (with compassion or with contempt). That which is pitiful is touching and excites pity or is mean and contemptible: a pitiful leper; a pitiful exhibition of cowardice. Pitiable may mean lamentable, or wretched and paltry: a pitiable hovel. Piteous refers only to that which exhibits suffering and misery, and is therefore heart-rending: piteous poverty.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of pitiful
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at pity, -ful
Explanation
Pitiful means pathetic. If you don't even study for your test, you're making a pretty pitiful effort to do well. The word pitiful can be used in a range of contexts. Most commonly, you'll see it used as an expression of contempt and pity, the way the word pathetic might be used. You might also see it used in reference to something unfortunate or deserving of pity — like a homeless mother and her child, begging for money on the street. Something pitiful might also be something very small or inadequate. A pitiful attempt, is one that isn't good enough.
Vocabulary lists containing pitiful
List 12
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Commonly Confused Words, List 2
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Crash
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ms. Hoffman’s Desdemona has a pronounced, wide-eyed girlishness that makes her confusion at her husband’s suspicions and growing antagonism pitiful to watch.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026
Now, not even 25 years later, the United States Department of Agriculture was forecasting a pitiful 12 million boxes of oranges, the least in more than 100 years, the worst year since last.
From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026
They only have one Slam in 15 years, a pitiful total given the resources they have.
From BBC • Mar. 6, 2026
England last won an away Ashes series in 2010/11 and their recent record in Australia is pitiful, with 13 defeats and two draws in 15 Tests.
From Barron's • Nov. 16, 2025
Chip asked, and this, too, came out sounding pitiful.
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
