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
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Chilling moments like this are the lifeblood of The Dreamed Adventure, the moments that recall the pitiful last days of the dying communist era and the violent, mafia-style economics that whooshed in to replace them.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
22 May 2026
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There’s a mentality problem — that’s highlighted by a pitiful return of just one point out of a possible 24 away from home this season against teams in the top nine.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
16 May 2026
Adjective
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The plan involved discovering a long lost princess, hopping on a plane to London, breaking into a museum store room, and enlisting the help of a very pathetic historian.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 May 2026
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In our home, DC used a small, pathetic room meant for storage to pursue his hobbies.—
Marni Jameson,
Arkansas Online,
22 May 2026
Adjective
-
Common travel regrets stem from preventable issues like poor planning, budget problems, and choosing the wrong companions.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
-
O’Farrell’s inclination for narratives propelled by brutal coincidence and fatally poor timing tenders a Hardy-esque vision of the world, one that emphasizes the rigid, often cruel limits of an individual’s jurisdiction over the course of their life.—
Rachel Vorona Cote,
Vulture,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
As lame as the fact that an Erewhon smoothie costs $19 is that so many of us need to be paid to be nice to each other.—
Swan Huntley,
Los Angeles Times,
25 May 2026
-
Santana tried to jump off the steps to clothesline Maclin but came up a bit lame.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
22 May 2026
Adjective
-
The sad thing is that the miseries return, but there is no other Garrincha available.—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
-
Our deepest sympathies and condolences go out to Cesar's family and friends during this very sad time.—
Jesse Zanger,
CBS News,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
But tensions escalated over Memorial Day weekend as hundreds of detainees went on a hunger strike to protest spoiled food and wretched conditions, some of their lawyers said.—
David Williams,
CNN Money,
29 May 2026
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Even with the Tigers’ grisly combination of injury misfortune and wretched play, their season is not yet over.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
26 May 2026
Adjective
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Strained by tighter budgets and product price increases, more shoppers are willing to ditch their favorite brand for a cheaper alternative, a new study finds.—
Betty Lin-Fisher,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
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The simpler, cheaper, more snow-friendly autonomous driving hardware is welcome, too.—
Andrew Nusca,
Fortune,
29 May 2026
Adjective
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The $50 million playland opened in miserable Memorial Day weekend weather, but 12,000 visitors still showed up.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
29 May 2026
-
Let’s survey the wreckage of another miserable day at the ballpark.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
27 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pitiable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pitiable. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.
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