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
By the time that series starts, the woeful White Sox (36-120) should probably have lost a game, breaking their current tie with the legendary 1962 New York Mets for the most losses in the majors since the pitiful 1899 Cleveland Spiders went 20-134 in the National League.
—
Chuck Murr, Forbes, 24 Sep. 2024
In addition, Boko Haram is savvy enough to recognize that Nigeria’s pitiful education system is an enormous vulnerability.
—Isobel Coleman, Foreign Affairs, 10 May 2014
Kamala Harris will become the first woman to serve as a U.S. president and a pitiful, angry old man will skulk back to Mar-a-Lago.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 17 Sep. 2024
The latest weekend’s nationwide aggregate was a pitiful $24.4 million, the second lowest weekend of 2024.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 9 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pitiful 
Chuck Murr, Forbes, 24 Sep. 2024
In addition, Boko Haram is savvy enough to recognize that Nigeria’s pitiful education system is an enormous vulnerability.
—Isobel Coleman, Foreign Affairs, 10 May 2014
Kamala Harris will become the first woman to serve as a U.S. president and a pitiful, angry old man will skulk back to Mar-a-Lago.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 17 Sep. 2024
The latest weekend’s nationwide aggregate was a pitiful $24.4 million, the second lowest weekend of 2024.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 9 Sep. 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 2 Oct. 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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