1
as in pitiful
arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust
the sales presentation was a pitiable display of ineptitude and disorganization
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in pathetic
deserving pitying scorn (as for inadequacy)
a pitiable attempt at singing that generated snickers
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in poor
deserving of one's pity
a pitiable, starving old dog
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pitiable
Is there a more pitiable character in Virgin River than this woman, who was chasing after Jack while pregnant with a villain’s twins for at least a dozen years and now has to deal with the villain and the twins?
—
Sara Netzley, EW.com, 19 Dec. 2024
As pathetic and pitiable as Gloria is, Blethyn runs away with the whole movie.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2024
The Unauthorized Public Camping and Public Sleeping Act adds Florida’s most pitiable demographic to the menu.
—Fred Grimm, Sun Sentinel, 15 Mar. 2024
Chavez plays Lyle as the clearly dominant older brother with little remorse, while Koch's younger, more vulnerable Erik is doe-like and pitiable.
—Lucy Ford, TIME, 24 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for pitiable
Sara Netzley, EW.com, 19 Dec. 2024
As pathetic and pitiable as Gloria is, Blethyn runs away with the whole movie.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2024
The Unauthorized Public Camping and Public Sleeping Act adds Florida’s most pitiable demographic to the menu.
—Fred Grimm, Sun Sentinel, 15 Mar. 2024
Chavez plays Lyle as the clearly dominant older brother with little remorse, while Koch's younger, more vulnerable Erik is doe-like and pitiable.
—Lucy Ford, TIME, 24 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for pitiable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pitiable
Adjective
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But the modern Democratic Party, rudderless and confused and reeling from a pitiful collective performance during Tuesday evening's presidential joint address to Congress, now confronts a fork in the road that's no joke.—
Newsweek,
Newsweek,
7 Mar. 2025
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My performance was beyond pitiful today, and has been for a while now.—
Ryan Morik,
Fox News,
3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The image of the 77-year-old Green screaming and shaking his cane at the president was partly disturbing but mostly pathetic.—
Matthew Continetti,
National Review,
8 Mar. 2025
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Michael Gandolfini pops up as a slimy Fisk mayoral staffer who wouldn’t look out of place in this magazine’s recent cover featuring the new young right, and his playing both pathetic and vaguely sympathetic is very fun to watch.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
4 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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This can manifest in poor financial behaviors like excessive credit card debt, minimal savings, or impulsive investment decisions.—
Shane Enete,
Forbes,
24 Mar. 2025
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Sharon is the first member of the coven to die after the first of the five trials; meanwhile, the rest of the coven fends off further danger, faces new challenges, and even adds a new member to their ranks, replacing poor Sharon almost immediately.—
Shania Russell,
EW.com,
23 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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As holidays go, however, Flag Day can feel a bit lame.—
Kevin Fisher-Paulson,
San Francisco Chronicle,
8 June 2021
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My 11-year-old loved watching the pups roll balls and play a giant floor piano, but for non-dog owners (guilty as charged), parts of the series—like dressing dogs in little hats and outfits for a Parisian fashion show—feel lame.—
Tim Neville,
Outside Online,
23 Nov. 2020
Adjective
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Yet, whatever the deal means for Paul, Weiss, its acquiescence to Trump marks a sad day for the legal profession—or what once was a profession, and is now just another business.—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2025
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Kwong grew up hearing stories of every kind about Manzanar—scary, sad, funny and infuriating.—
Rachel Ng,
Smithsonian Magazine,
27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The ones who weren’t downright frauds were only cracked and wretched old women with delusions.—
Charles Portis,
Harper's Magazine,
28 Feb. 2025
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In a year when the Amy Winehouse movie Back to Black showed just how wretched musical biopics can sometimes be, most critics and ticket-buyers seem pleased with James Mangold’s look at Bob Dylan’s early years in A Complete Unknown.—
Jordan Hoffman,
The Hollywood Reporter,
30 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Replacement filters are cheap and the reservoir holds 2.4 liters.—
Louryn Strampe,
WIRED,
22 Mar. 2025
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And a million dollars for a top analyst may be cheap relative to the value of the person’s work.—
Bill Conerly,
Forbes,
22 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Many parents, in fact, report that the worst-case scenario is not when your whole family is ill but when the adults are miserable and the under-six cohort feels just fine.—
Kathryn Schulz,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2025
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Scratching will just make your rash worse and your life more miserable.—
Avery Hurt,
Discover Magazine,
29 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pitiable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pitiable. Accessed 4 Apr. 2025.
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