pitiful

adjective

piti·​ful ˈpi-ti-fəl 

1

archaic : full of pity : compassionate

2

a

: deserving or arousing pity or commiseration

b

: exciting pitying contempt (as by meanness or inadequacy)

pitiful wages

pitifully

ˈpi-ti-f(ə-)lē 

adverb

pitifulness

ˈpi-ti-fəl-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• contemptible
• despicable
• miserable
• pathetic
• pitiable
• sad
• sorry
• wretched

Examples of pitiful in a Sentence

She made a pitiful attempt to complete her work.

that piece of junk is a pitiful excuse for a car

Recent Examples on the Web

The Bucs gained 156 yards on 32 carries, with the Giants’ pitiful tackling paving the way to most of those yards. —Dan Duggan, The Athletic, 24 Nov. 2024

This pitiful state of affairs has arisen even though the EU has a strong industrial base and counts four of the world’s ten largest arms exporters among its members. —Norbert Röttgen, Foreign Affairs, 22 Nov. 2024

There’s a pitiful quality to Armand’s seeming inability to understand love as an emotion that can’t be negotiated or strong-armed, and Zaman captures that aspect of the character in his soft eyes and pleading line deliveries, too. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 2 July 2024

The credit is non-existent, the pay pitiful given the expertise involved. —Guy Lodge, Variety, 19 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

pitiful

adjective

piti·​ful ˈpit-i-fəl 

1

: deserving or arousing pity or sympathy

a pitiful mongrel

2

: deserving pitying scorn (as by not being adequate)

a pitiful excuse

pitifully

-f(ə-)lē 

adverb