1
as in pathetic
deserving pitying scorn (as for inadequacy)
that piece of junk is a pitiful excuse for a car
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in lame
arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust
a pitiful coward
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in poor
deserving of one's pity
pitiful orphans who had lost everything in the war
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pitiful
Instead Tripp comes across as simultaneously pitiful and predatory, a fine line that Paulson was able to walk straight to the year-round Christmas store.
—
Tom Smyth, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2025
Even the minimum requirement — qualifying for the Champions League — depends on it because six points out of a possible 18 away from home so far is pitiful.
—James Pearce, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025
With a release on just over 2,000 screens, that's a pitiful per-theater-average of $649.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Nov. 2025
Jerry Jeudy has struggled, and the depth behind Jeudy has been pitiful.
—Matthew Schmidt, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pitiful
Tom Smyth, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2025
Even the minimum requirement — qualifying for the Champions League — depends on it because six points out of a possible 18 away from home so far is pitiful.
—James Pearce, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025
With a release on just over 2,000 screens, that's a pitiful per-theater-average of $649.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Nov. 2025
Jerry Jeudy has struggled, and the depth behind Jeudy has been pitiful.
—Matthew Schmidt, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pitiful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pitiful
Adjective
-
For a film such a this to arrive in a FIFA World Cup year is a stark reminder of the entwinement between soccer and corruption, and De Pauw’s performance as Mayor Dumont — a man inclined to compartmentalize and pass the buck — is wonderfully pathetic.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2026
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These clowns don't even have the courage of their pathetic White supremacist convictions.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Saying the house is like a character too sounds a bit lame.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
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That huge war chest would be especially remarkable amassed by a lame-duck president.—
Susan Page,
USA Today,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Policymakers globally are increasingly worried that the unequal adoption of AI risks widening income and development gaps between rich and poor countries.—
Hanna Ziady,
CNN Money,
18 Feb. 2026
-
In November, Jesse Jackon was hospitalized again after suffering a fall while protesting poor campus living conditions with students at Howard University.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
To many, this is a sad, depressing thought.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Shortly after the film begins, Jago returns home from the war alone with the sad news that Seamus has been killed.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
What really matters is if the tech can be scaled, is energy-dense enough to complete, and can prove cheap at an industrial scale.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Feb. 2026
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Although this pencil is the cheapest of the bunch, the formula lasts and lasts.—
Alanna Martine Kilkeary,
Glamour,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
There were still seasons, birds and bees, and days and weeks in all their wretched assuredness.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 Feb. 2026
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Over the summer, Gallup measured the party’s approval rating at 34 percent, its lowest point since Gallup began tracking partisan approval ratings, in 1992; a Wall Street Journal poll had the Democrats at 33 percent approval; a CNN poll put their approval rating at a wretched 28 percent.—
Mark Leibovich,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Tan explained that there are still things people can do to protect themselves from the harms of dirty air.—
Dr. Ishani D. Premaratne,
ABC News,
17 Feb. 2026
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Synthetic fibers like polyester can leave tiny scratches on the surface, and dirty cloths can cause micro scratches.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Schaeffer acknowledged that the Rockies were bad at baserunning — and many other baseball basics — during Colorado’s miserable 119-loss season in 2025.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
19 Feb. 2026
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Frank Lampard, who returned for a second miserable stint as caretaker boss in 2023.—
The Athletic Staff,
New York Times,
15 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pitiful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pitiful. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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