pitiful

adjective

ˈpi-ti-fəl How to pronounce pitiful (audio)
Definition of pitifulnext
1
as in pathetic
deserving pitying scorn (as for inadequacy) that piece of junk is a pitiful excuse for a car

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in lame
arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust a pitiful coward

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in poor
deserving of one's pity pitiful orphans who had lost everything in the war

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of pitiful Trump has made a pitiful shambles of what should have been a glorious moment. — David Frum, The Atlantic, 31 May 2026 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 Will the harsh weather mean poor growth and pitiful harvests? — Gemma Johnstone, The Spruce, 8 May 2026 Which is a key reason why their economies—with a few exceptions, such as Poland and the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania—have been such pitiful performers in this century. — Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 8 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for pitiful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pitiful
  1. pathetic
  2. lame
  3. poor
  4. sad
  5. cheap
  6. wretched
  7. dirty
  8. miserable
Adjective
  • Haloed in distorted guitar and jagged synths, Wolf comes off as a champion of her own avoidance, her heroism charmingly pathetic.
    — Enzo Escober, Pitchfork, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The Chargers' offense mustered a pathetic 14 points all game.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of pathetic
Adjective
  • Blumenthal hopes to see action on KOSA in the lame-duck session.
    — Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Only to see them, after winning elections, get strong-armed by the party, then offer lame excuses as to why.
    — Colleen Kujawa, Chicago Tribune, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of lame
Adjective
  • Europe is expected to have a particularly poor corn harvest and needs larger imports just as its demand for feed remains high.
    — Jenni Reid, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Reese is known as a poor shooter, and is often mocked for missing easy shots in games.
    — Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of poor
Adjective
  • Tuesday's testimony in Media was emotional and sad as the 911 call of the stabbing was played.
    — Joe Holden, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • But seeing Mike Love this weekend was a sad one for Beach Boys fans.
    — Geoff Edgers, Washington Post, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of sad
Adjective
  • Investors now see access to cheap and reliable power as a precondition for European companies to compete long-term.
    — Sophie Dembinski, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Telehealth sites hit their first jackpot in the 2010s, when Viagra and other drugs for erectile dysfunction came off patent, allowing for the sale of cheaper generics.
    — Anna Cooban, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of cheap
Adjective
  • The Vatican typically allows criminal investigations to play out before initiating canonical trials so as not to interfere, and that is especially so now in Australia, after the church's wretched legacy there of abuse and cover-up.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • But the warmth of her hand on his skin only made Shawn feel more wretched.
    — Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of wretched
Adjective
  • Walls around the three-sinks are dirty in the ware-washing area.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Postwar Hiroshima was a popular setting for these movie gangsters, who fought dirty, had no use for the old ceremonies, and wore flashy suits and aviator shades.
    — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of dirty
Adjective
  • Sunday’s 31-24 loss to Cincinnati – the latest miserable day during this depressing season - crystallized several issues that general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and coach Jeff Hafley must navigate in the days and weeks ahead.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Probably get out and do that, like, half-walk, half-jog thing and then show up, like, really sweaty and miserable.
    — Zach Schiffman, Curbed, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of miserable

Browse Nearby Words

pities
pitiful
pitiless
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Cite this Entry

“Pitiful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pitiful. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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