PITIFUL Synonyms: 134 Similar and Opposite Words

pitiful

adjective

ˈpi-ti-fəl

Definition of pitiful

as in pathetic

deserving pitying scorn (as for inadequacy) that piece of junk is a pitiful excuse for a car

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in lame

arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust a pitiful coward

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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 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 Written as a response to the utopian fiction that consumed Russia’s intelligentsia at the time, Notes from Underground is a mirror that reflects the ugliest, most pitiful aspects of humanity back at us. — Big Think, 29 Apr. 2026 These two beacons of truth and connoisseurs of mess have been bonded for over a decade, sharing the traumas of a crappy Boston dorm room and a pitiful Brooklyn dating scene. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 21 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for pitiful

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pitiful

Adjective

This is a complete pathetic effort by defense, offense and coaching.

— Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 15 Sep. 2026
Among the performers, Smith rules the roost as the no-nonsense Angela, and Jones acquits himself tolerably on comic relief duties as the pathetic Mike.

— Caspar Salmon, Variety, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of pathetic

Adjective

The next big issue for me was that Axl shimmied from side to side with an unusual snakelike move that struck me as effeminate and lame.

— Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2026
Trump, meanwhile, will be at best a lame-duck president within weeks of the summit—or worse, if the Democrats are able to take back the House or the Senate.

— Jonathan A. Czin, The Atlantic, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of lame

Adjective

The following season, Chelsea topped their Champions League group, but poor Premier League form saw Mourinho sacked in mid-December.

— Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Many are in poor shape, with thin, uninsulated walls, leaky windows, old or broken swamp coolers and electrical systems that can't always handle air conditioners.

— Alejandra Borunda, NPR, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of poor

Adjective

However — here is the gold dust — the perfect blend is gay AND sad.

— Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Top Plays from Broncos @ Chiefs Perhaps the only solace for the Broncos after a season of sky-high expectations opened with a flop is those sorts of sad adjectives belonged to everyone.

— Nick Kosmider, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of sad

Adjective

JetKVM Smaller, cheaper and now wireless JetKVM Mini will come in two versions.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 18 Sep. 2026
Wolk expressed confidence that J & J can continue growing through future patent expirations, which allow cheaper competition to erode sales of blockbuster drugs.

— Alexa LoMonaco,Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of cheap

Adjective

Not one Wrexham player emerged with credit from a truly wretched performance, apart perhaps from goalkeeper Anthony Patterson, who prevented the margin of defeat being even larger with excellent saves to deny Jarrod Bowen and Manor Solomon.

— Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Those who care deeply about one aspect of something or another often take charge of their memory, not necessarily reflecting the wretched, real-time ambivalence of the original experience.

— The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of wretched

Adjective

About 15 feet away, there was an oversized rolling laundry bin where players would walk around reporters to drop off their dirty clothes.

— Candace Buckner, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
In them, again and again, peering over the shoulders of the dirty loft buildings and overscale Cadillac Eldorados, the twin towers of the World Trade Center appear.

— Baldwin Lee, Curbed, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of dirty

Adjective

But this sleekly miserable noir about the aftermath of a feckless man’s confrontation with his wife’s younger lover transports the stuff of archetype into Putin’s Russia.

— Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 14 Sep. 2026
The higher the price of gas goes, the more miserable Republicans become, and the more bettors see the Dems winning.

— Jim Edwards, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of miserable

Browse Nearby Words

pities

pitiful

pitiless

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Pitiful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pitiful. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of pitiful

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

aggrandize

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18

Popular

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes