as in pitiful
deserving of one's pity
a piteous beggar huddled in the doorway of an abandoned building
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Recent Examples of piteous
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
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
Because the Grammys telecast draws generations of viewers, and because Grammy voters are drawn from a wide pool that skews older, what emerges on the show, and in the awards themselves, is a kind of piteous compromise that holds real innovation at bay.
—New York Times, 4 Apr. 2022
Later, Ivy interrogates Felix about having strayed dangerously from the straight-and-narrow, a confrontation that is agonizing to watch, as Mr. Torres’s performance gains in both piteous despair and angry ferocity.
—Charles Isherwood, WSJ, 17 Nov. 2022
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
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
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
Because the Grammys telecast draws generations of viewers, and because Grammy voters are drawn from a wide pool that skews older, what emerges on the show, and in the awards themselves, is a kind of piteous compromise that holds real innovation at bay.
—New York Times, 4 Apr. 2022
Later, Ivy interrogates Felix about having strayed dangerously from the straight-and-narrow, a confrontation that is agonizing to watch, as Mr. Torres’s performance gains in both piteous despair and angry ferocity.
—Charles Isherwood, WSJ, 17 Nov. 2022
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for piteous
Adjective
-
Fried wasn’t the only reason the Yankees lost on Sunday, as the Bombers’ bats were pitiful against Jason Alexander.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
10 Aug. 2025
-
This negative sentiment was also felt on both sides of the Atlantic, given their pitiful plummet in popularity.—
Brie Stimson , Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
25 July 2025
Adjective
-
What’s more pathetic than those who keep selling that myth?—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 Aug. 2025
-
Kamala has lied for years about their pathetic job growth, which has never been real.—
Meg Kinnard,
Fortune,
5 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Additionally, over-saturating with water is a poor choice for these floors.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
16 Aug. 2025
-
This implies a poor Debt-to-Equity Ratio of 52.5% (vs. 19.4% for S&P 500).—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The 1972 offensive had been wretched for AP, which was being regularly beaten by its main rival, United Press International.—
Gary Knight,
Rolling Stone,
1 Aug. 2025
-
The wretched music alone is worth it, as is Victor Von Doom's henchman, who sounds like a little kid trying to impersonate Dracula.—
Jordan Hoffman,
EW.com,
25 July 2025
Adjective
-
With exciting ex-Washington State QB Mateer and his former OC, Ben Arbuckle, last year’s miserable offense should be light-years better.—
Stewart Mandel,
New York Times,
20 Aug. 2025
-
The life of a corporate whistleblower is a miserable one.—
Scott Phillips,
Forbes.com,
19 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Piteous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piteous. Accessed 28 Aug. 2025.
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