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

So many of the latter comes thanks to Niecy Nash’s Nurse DiDi, who seems to take the time to see her patients as worthwhile much more often than her cohorts, the self-important Dr. Jenna James (Laurie Metcalf) and pitiful nurse Dawn (Alex Borstein). —Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2025

Look, everyone points to injuries as the reason for the pitiful performance so far this season, but a lot of teams are dealing with injuries. —Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 21 Apr. 2025

To repeat ourselves, New York City has long been pitiful in the public potty department. —New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 12 Apr. 2025

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, 7 Mar. 2025

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