1
as in pathetic
deserving pitying scorn (as for inadequacy)
that piece of junk is a pitiful excuse for a car
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in lame
arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust
a pitiful coward
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3
as in poor
deserving of one's pity
pitiful orphans who had lost everything in the war
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Examples of pitiful in a Sentence
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Recent Examples on the Web
By the time that series starts, the woeful White Sox (36-120) should probably have lost a game, breaking their current tie with the legendary 1962 New York Mets for the most losses in the majors since the pitiful 1899 Cleveland Spiders went 20-134 in the National League.
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Chuck Murr, Forbes, 24 Sep. 2024
In addition, Boko Haram is savvy enough to recognize that Nigeria’s pitiful education system is an enormous vulnerability.
—Isobel Coleman, Foreign Affairs, 10 May 2014
Kamala Harris will become the first woman to serve as a U.S. president and a pitiful, angry old man will skulk back to Mar-a-Lago.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 17 Sep. 2024
The latest weekend’s nationwide aggregate was a pitiful $24.4 million, the second lowest weekend of 2024.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 9 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pitiful 
Chuck Murr, Forbes, 24 Sep. 2024
In addition, Boko Haram is savvy enough to recognize that Nigeria’s pitiful education system is an enormous vulnerability.
—Isobel Coleman, Foreign Affairs, 10 May 2014
Kamala Harris will become the first woman to serve as a U.S. president and a pitiful, angry old man will skulk back to Mar-a-Lago.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 17 Sep. 2024
The latest weekend’s nationwide aggregate was a pitiful $24.4 million, the second lowest weekend of 2024.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 9 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pitiful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pitiful
Adjective
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The upcoming sequel to This Is Spinal Tap will be turning the pathetic knobs all the way to 11.Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 1 Nov. 2024
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After a downright pathetic few weeks, the Russians regrouped—or at least got regrouped enough.Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024
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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Trump, for one thing, had a favorable set of issues behind him and the Republican Party: Biden had seen poor favorability and approval ratings throughout his term in office, despite scoring several legislative wins, including a bipartisan infrastructure deal that had previously eluded Trump.Todd Spangler, Detroit Free Press, 6 Nov. 2024
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Apparently, my daughter didn’t finish all of the food on her plate, and the mom felt that was incredibly rude and a sign of poor manners.Harriette Cole, The Mercury News, 5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Maybe not the question to ask a Canadian, but could sad smoke breaks bring America together today?Bethy Squires, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2024
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So there’s perhaps no greater sin than to serve a casserole with a sad, soggy topping.Jill Schildhouse, Southern Living, 5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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High-performance mechanical switches or potentiometer sticks still perform incredibly well, and some budget Hall effect peripherals will still cheap out on materials, quality control, and manufacturing tolerances.Henri Robbins, WIRED, 4 Nov. 2024
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For more advice, check out our guide on the best time to book a flight, read about the best ways to find cheap flights, and discover the best time of day to fly to avoid cancellations.Olivia Morelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Bill undergoes a moral crisis when his path crosses with a wretched head nun (Emily Watson) at a convent that’s part of the notorious Magdalene Laundries — a place of severe abuse of women.Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2024
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The quirky, engaging film centers on the wretched and lonely lives of 1970s Australian twins — Grace (Sarah Snook) and Gilbert (Kodi Smit-McPhee) — who weather rotten foster families apart after their alcoholic, paraplegic father dies.Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Allison has been coming here for years, usually to get an iced dirty chai.Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 1 Nov. 2024
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Made In the Shade The point of gardening is to get dirty, so clothing should of course be secondary.Chloe Schama, Vogue, 31 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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The concrete there takes, to me, a much more miserable, oppressive tone.Owen Davies, Curbed, 4 Nov. 2024
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One positive in Green Bay’s miserable offensive performance was the play of running back Josh Jacobs, who finished with 95 yards on 13 carries.Rob Reischel, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near pitiful
Cite this Entry
“Pitiful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pitiful. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.
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