pitiable

adjective

piti·​able ˈpi-tē-ə-bəl 

1

: deserving or exciting pity : lamentable

pitiable victims

2

: of a kind to evoke mingled pity and contempt especially because of inadequacy

a pitiable excuse

pitiableness noun

pitiably

ˈpi-tē-ə-blē 

adverb

Synonyms

• cheap
• contemptible
• cruddy
• deplorable
• despicable
• dirty
• grubby
• lame
• lousy
• mean
• nasty
• paltry
• pitiful
• ratty
• scabby
• scummy
• scurvy
• sneaking
• sorry
• wretched

Choose the Right Synonym for pitiable

contemptible, despicable, pitiable, sorry, scurvy mean arousing or deserving scorn.

contemptible may imply any quality provoking scorn or a low standing in any scale of values.

a contemptible liar

despicable may imply utter worthlessness and usually suggests arousing an attitude of moral indignation.

a despicable crime

pitiable applies to what inspires mixed contempt and pity.

a pitiable attempt at tragedy

sorry may stress pitiable inadequacy or may suggest wretchedness or sordidness.

this rattletrap is a sorry excuse for a car

scurvy adds to despicable an implication of arousing disgust.

a scurvy crew of hangers-on

Examples of pitiable in a Sentence

the sales presentation was a pitiable display of ineptitude and disorganization

a pitiable attempt at singing that generated snickers

Recent Examples on the Web

Chavez plays Lyle as the clearly dominant older brother with little remorse, while Koch's younger, more vulnerable Erik is doe-like and pitiable. —Lucy Ford, TIME, 24 Sep. 2024

In the sensitive hands of director Lila Neugebauer and her top-notch cast, these people are complicated and they’re blinkered, monstrous and pitiable, trying and failing, not individually hateful and collectively matured in a slow cooker of unexamined bias and malice. —Sara Holdren, Vulture, 16 June 2024

What could have been just a mimicry of, say, Edward Norton in American History X becomes something distinctly pitiable and unnerving on its own terms, and Gosling chased the heights of this tormented-20-something performance for a long time, up until the next film on our list. 8. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 3 May 2024

The earnestness borders on pitiable — enough to warrant some modest reconsideration of the vision of one of America’s greatest visionaries. —James Rosen, National Review, 21 Dec. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

pitiable

adjective

piti·​able ˈpit-ē-ə-bəl 

: pitiful

pitiably

-blē 

adverb