pitiful

[pit-i-fuhl]

adjective

1. evoking or deserving pity.

   a pitiful fate.

   Synonyms: pathetic, woeful, deplorable, lamentable
   Antonyms: delightful

2. evoking or deserving contempt by smallness, poor quality, etc..

   pitiful attempts.

   Synonyms: despicable, vile, base, low, mean, deplorable
   Antonyms: honorable

3. Archaic.,  full of pity; compassionate.

pitiful

/ ˈpɪtɪfʊl /

adjective

1. arousing or deserving pity

2. arousing or deserving contempt

3. archaic,  full of pity or compassion

Other Word Forms

• pitifully adverb
• pitifulness noun
• self-pitiful adjective
• self-pitifully adverb
• self-pitifulness noun
• unpitiful adjective
• unpitifully adverb
• unpitifulness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of pitiful¹

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; pity, -ful

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

“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.

Read more on 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.

Read more on Barron's

Ireland’s historic neutrality is no excuse for its pitiful investment in defense—roughly 0.2% of gross domestic product—which is among the lowest in the European Union.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"Such a pitiful number of films from the past year have been made by women."

Read more on BBC

Do we really want to incentivize vigilantes like YouTube copycat Skeet Hansen, seen in the documentary machinating and uploading his own stakeouts, pitiful farces of justice with the catchphrase “You’ve just been Skeeted”?

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• dismal 
• distressing www.thesaurus.com
• insignificant 
• lamentable 
• miserable 
• paltry 
• pathetic 
• sad 
• shabby 
• sorry 
• touching 
• woeful 
• wretched