1
as in pitiful
arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust
the sales presentation was a pitiable display of ineptitude and disorganization
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in poor
deserving of one's pity
a pitiable, starving old dog
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pitiable
Despite the ceasefire, Gazans are suffering from pitiable conditions.
—
Matt Bradley, NBC news, 27 Jan. 2026
Women who died in childbirth, young men who died in war, infants who died before baptism—these especially pitiable dead were sometimes thought to become terrors whom the living would need to finish off once and for all.
—Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 7 Jan. 2026
Early modern people often represented ghosts as sad and pitiable.
—Penelope Geng, The Conversation, 27 Oct. 2025
And Berchtold capably taps into the raw pain underneath Paul’s party-bro exterior, rendering him pitiable if not exactly likable.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pitiable
Matt Bradley, NBC news, 27 Jan. 2026
Women who died in childbirth, young men who died in war, infants who died before baptism—these especially pitiable dead were sometimes thought to become terrors whom the living would need to finish off once and for all.
—Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 7 Jan. 2026
Early modern people often represented ghosts as sad and pitiable.
—Penelope Geng, The Conversation, 27 Oct. 2025
And Berchtold capably taps into the raw pain underneath Paul’s party-bro exterior, rendering him pitiable if not exactly likable.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pitiable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pitiable
Adjective
-
Trump has made a pitiful shambles of what should have been a glorious moment.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
31 May 2026
-
With his country flailing in their pitiful attempts to qualify for the 2006 World Cup, at the age of 33, Zidane underwent his change of heart.—
Amy Lawrence,
New York Times,
31 May 2026
Adjective
-
Sports make people a little pathetic.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
-
Williams didn't portray Peter Banning as pathetic.—
Cynthia Pelayo,
PEOPLE,
8 June 2026
Adjective
-
The second didn’t go nearly as well for Bussi as Karlsson and Howden scored on two of the Golden Knights’ six shots in the period to tie the score at 3-3 heading into the third, the tying goal coming off a Seth Jarvis turnover and a couple of poor defensive plays by Sean Walker and K’Andre Miller.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
-
Heat radiates from the pages of this extraordinary novel about a poor family in rural Mississippi in the days leading up to Hurricane Katrina.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
Adjective
-
The Browns are clearly in rebuild mode, with 2026 expected to be a lame-duck season at quarterback with Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders vying for the starting job for a season before the team uses the 2027 draft to select its latest quarterback of the future.—
Jim Reineking,
USA Today,
2 June 2026
-
Initially blocked by recalcitrant Democratic members of the House, the legislation was reintroduced during a lame-duck session following the 2024 election.—
Andrew Cockburn,
Harpers Magazine,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
The sad thing for me is that, as a young actor, there was a platform for small independent films that were interesting.—
Rafa Sales Ross,
Variety,
11 June 2026
-
Someone said an ending can be both happy and sad at the same time, which is surely correct.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
Jones also further expounds on the vampire’s wretched lineage and mythology through flashbacks.—
Randy McMullen,
Mercury News,
11 June 2026
-
Portages can be wretched, slippery hellscapes of mud, bugs, and steep, rocky hills seemingly designed to inflict lower back pain.—
John Bowe,
Travel + Leisure,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
Analyst Seth Seifman said in a note that the stock still isn’t cheap — with Kratos trading at 76 times forward earnings — but notes that investors have been awarding high-growth companies in this sector with elevated premiums.—
Davis Giangiulio,
CNBC,
12 June 2026
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While countries highlighted in a new report of summer’s top travel destinations may not come as a surprise, the data also revealed ways to get there for cheaper.—
Lauren Dana Ellman,
Travel + Leisure,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
What started off as a miserable day to be outside due to temperatures well over 80, as well as a brief rainfall, all those issues were forgotten after once the skies cleared up.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
13 June 2026
-
Despite concerns that the conflict in the Middle East could further squeeze a flagging labor market, hiring has picked up in recent months following a miserable 2025 that saw fewer than 200,000 job gains.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pitiable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pitiable. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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