pitiful
adjective
piti·ful
ˈpi-ti-fəl 
1
archaic
: full of pity : compassionate
2
a
: deserving or arousing pity or commiseration
b
: exciting pitying contempt (as by meanness or inadequacy)
pitiful wages
Synonyms
Examples of pitiful in a Sentence
She made a pitiful attempt to complete her work.
that piece of junk is a pitiful excuse for a car
Recent Examples on the Web
That’s a pitiful attempt to recast as somehow patriotic a blatant refusal to cooperate with a legitimate investigation by the House of Representatives.
—
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 3 July 2024
Certainly, the world’s pitiful performance in handling the coronavirus pandemic gives little reason to believe that future threats will be called earlier or dealt with better.
—Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2020
Colorado should be ashamed of the pitiful condition of I-70.
—Tj Hutchinson, The Denver Post, 14 June 2024
The stalker isn't romanticized or sexed up, but instead portrayed as mentally ill and deeply pitiful.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 24 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pitiful 
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 3 July 2024
Certainly, the world’s pitiful performance in handling the coronavirus pandemic gives little reason to believe that future threats will be called earlier or dealt with better.
—Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2020
Colorado should be ashamed of the pitiful condition of I-70.
—Tj Hutchinson, The Denver Post, 14 June 2024
The stalker isn't romanticized or sexed up, but instead portrayed as mentally ill and deeply pitiful.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 24 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pitiful
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pitiful.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near pitiful
Cite this Entry
“Pitiful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pitiful. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pitiful
adjective
piti·ful
ˈpit-i-fəl
1
: deserving or arousing pity or sympathy
a pitiful mongrel
2
: deserving pitying scorn (as by not being adequate)
a pitiful excuse
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