: of a kind to move to pity or compassion
piteously
adverb
piteousness
noun
Examples of piteous in a Sentence
The child cried out in a piteous voice.
a piteous beggar huddled in the doorway of an abandoned building
Recent Examples on the Web
An old woman and an old man, innocent as lambs, clambering over rubble with their piteous backpacks and bundles.
—
David Bezmozgis,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2025
Subjects set up as snakes in the grass are given piteous endings.
—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
20 Feb. 2025
The word integral seemed to me particularly poignant, piteous.
—
Joyce Carol Oates,
Harper's Magazine,
10 July 2023
In roaring luxury markets from Manhattan to San Francisco over the past few years, buyers were a piteous bunch.
—
Katy McLaughlin,
WSJ,
6 Mar. 2019
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
David Bezmozgis,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2025
Subjects set up as snakes in the grass are given piteous endings.
—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
20 Feb. 2025
The word integral seemed to me particularly poignant, piteous.
—
Joyce Carol Oates,
Harper's Magazine,
10 July 2023
In roaring luxury markets from Manhattan to San Francisco over the past few years, buyers were a piteous bunch.
—
Katy McLaughlin,
WSJ,
6 Mar. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Piteous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/piteous. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
piteous
adjective
pit·e·ous
ˈpit-ē-əs 
: of a kind to move to pity
piteous cries for help
piteously
adverb
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
