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
- pitifully adverb
- pitifulness noun
- self-pitiful adjective
- self-pitifully adverb
- self-pitifulness noun
- unpitiful adjective
- unpitifully adverb
- unpitifulness noun
Etymology
Origin of pitiful
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.
"Some of my most pitiful memories of my 20s were being stuck living with people that I didn't like," recalls Dr Jay.
From BBC
It also didn’t help that UCLA’s late-game execution was once again pitiful, point guard Donovan Dent doing too little once he reached the rim thanks to a flurry of missed layups and bad passes.
From Los Angeles Times
Hegseth is the classic bully, hiding his insecurity by dominating those who are weaker or more vulnerable, and pretending that’s cool instead of pitiful.
From Salon
“This man, after he gets fired, doesn’t target those who have directly harmed him, but, strangely enough, goes for those who are equally as pitiful as him,” says Park.
From Los Angeles Times
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
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.
