1
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
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
Once Bernstein landed on broadcast television, in the mid-fifties, such guides looked pitiful.
—
David Denby, New Yorker, 20 July 2025
For their part, France produced a pitiful display of football, which deserved nothing less than elimination.
—Michael Cox, New York Times, 20 July 2025
My pansies are pitiful, the lavender is languishing and the salvia is suffering.
—Barbara Ellis, Denver Post, 7 July 2025
The real version of Dave is equal parts pitiful and menacing, seductive and unable to fully pass himself as a normal person.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for pitiful
David Denby, New Yorker, 20 July 2025
For their part, France produced a pitiful display of football, which deserved nothing less than elimination.
—Michael Cox, New York Times, 20 July 2025
My pansies are pitiful, the lavender is languishing and the salvia is suffering.
—Barbara Ellis, Denver Post, 7 July 2025
The real version of Dave is equal parts pitiful and menacing, seductive and unable to fully pass himself as a normal person.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for pitiful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pitiful
Adjective
-
The end of that era came slowly, through the pathetic collapse of Syria and Lebanon as functioning states, and then quickly, when Israel began touching Hezbollah in unexpected places.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Want the poop on this pathetic history?—
Brian Domitrovic,
Forbes.com,
30 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Shootouts are lame in comparison.—
Chris Branch,
New York Times,
19 Aug. 2025
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On the other hand, Powell probably has little incentive to commit firmly given high lame-duck status and the fact that more employment and inflation numbers will hit before the September meeting.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
18 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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But prorating three years of player profits down to 12 months, as UEFA’s rule does, reduces the immediate efficacy of successful trading in the market, the very strategy that poorer clubs increasingly rely on to climb the ladder.—
Chris Weatherspoon,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Like most extended car warranty providers, CarShield excludes pre-existing conditions that existed before your warranty took effect, as well as damage resulting from poor maintenance, neglect or intentional abuse.—
Brian Sloan,
CNBC,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
But now, the King and the royal family have received very sad news that will change things going forward.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Shooting scenes in wide or medium shots that sometimes break into Hsiao-Lee’s harrowing point-of-view, cinematographer Yu Jing-Pin depicts a world without much color or hope, while sets by Huang Mei-Ching and Tu Shuo-Feng emphasize a sad and impoverished existence.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
But that cheaper investment has largely been eviscerated, according to a cadre of sports bankers CNBC interviewed.—
Michael Ozanian,
CNBC,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Travelers can snag cheap flights to explore New York in September and October.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
In fact the word poverty comes from the old French word poverté , which refers to a wretched state.—
Rahkim Sabree,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
-
Disneyland has dropped reservation requirements for the once wildly popular Oga’s Cantina six years after the wretched hive of scum and villainy opened to hourslong standby lines that forced the Anaheim theme park to hastily install a reservation system.—
Brady MacDonald,
Oc Register,
21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Natural gas fulfills much of this need, while coal is dirtier, expensive, and increasingly irrelevant for electricity production.—
Ken Silverstein,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
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Although the space station is without dirt and mud, astronauts’ clothes get dirty from sweat during their daily exercise.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The cotton-cashmere blend is lightweight and breathable but has just enough coziness to make a chilly flight feel less miserable.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
3 Sep. 2025
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The creator of Breaking Bad and prequel spinoff Better Call Saul reteams with his Saul star for the genre-bending series about the most miserable person on Earth’s pursuit to save humanity from happiness.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pitiful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pitiful. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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