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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 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
  1. pathetic
  2. lame
  3. poor
  4. sad
  5. cheap
  6. wretched
  7. dirty
  8. miserable
Adjective
  • Never in my lifetime has pathetic nostalgia for the white man’s republic been closer to the center of power.
    — Brian DeLay, Mercury News, 4 July 2026
  • Instagram Plus is social media’s newest low—a company preying on our most pathetic impulses, for the price of a small iced coffee.
    — Annie Joy Williams, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026
Definition of pathetic
Adjective
  • But instead of playing kingmaker, the lame-duck governor has refused to get behind a candidate to succeed him.
    — Romy Ellenbogen Herald, Miami Herald, 6 July 2026
  • Stronger and more flavorful than in your original lame iteration?
    — Padgett Powell, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026
Definition of lame
Adjective
  • Madrid had a poor 2024-25, failing to win the Spanish title or the Champions League, but Mbappe still scored 42 goals in 44 appearances.
    — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 21 July 2026
  • Using Neanderthal cranium shapes to estimate specific brain regions’ volume, some investigators claimed to see signs of a mind with feeble linguistic abilities, poor executive function and an unremarkable memory.
    — Cody Cottier, Scientific American, 20 July 2026
Definition of poor
Adjective
  • Bao and Dani also get some votes, but Yangyang and Octavius get none, which is sad.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 July 2026
  • But that selflessness comes to feel like the point of this lingering, resonantly sad film — above all else, an elegy for lives unseen and unknown.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 23 July 2026
Definition of sad
Adjective
  • The new buildings also provided cheaper housing options for Caracas workers who couldn’t afford to live in the city.
    — Syra Ortiz-Blanes, Miami Herald, 24 July 2026
  • The Steamfitters were staging protests outside the Pfizer site, accusing the MetroLoft — which employs a mix of union and nonunion contractors — of building on the cheap and tolerating unsafe work conditions.
    — Andrew Rice, Curbed, 23 July 2026
Definition of cheap
Adjective
  • Hashimi’s tale of unflagging effort amid wretched inequality astounds.
    — Monitor reviewers, Christian Science Monitor, 23 July 2026
  • Sixteen children from the same family who were rescued from a dilapidated home in rural Ohio were living in wretched conditions with human waste all around, confined to just one room over much of the past four years, authorities said.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 1 July 2026
Definition of wretched
Adjective
  • Spain versus Argentina in the final 24 hours later was never going to be a purists’ classic, but what unfolded was undoubtedly the dirtiest final since 2010, when the Spanish also faced aggressive, uncompromising opponents — the Netherlands.
    — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 20 July 2026
  • Some Roomba models from as far back as 2004 can still be found in some homes, working away on dirty floors.
    — BestReviews, Mercury News, 20 July 2026
Definition of dirty
Adjective
  • Madrid’s World Cup players gradually began to return as their countries’ campaigns came to an end, including Federico Valverde after Uruguay’s miserable group-stage exit.
    — Guillermo Rai, New York Times, 24 July 2026
  • George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb will make life miserable for opposing secondaries.
    — Darren Cooper, Forbes.com, 23 July 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 26 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of pitiful for Spanish Speakers

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