piteous
3
7.9
- adjective
- /ˈpɪtiəs/
- Literature
:
lastimoso
- Muffy whined and looked with piteous entreaty at Summer.
- piteous cry
- piteous wail
- piteous state
Examples
-
Albert looked at me with his whole life trembling in his piteous eyes.
Fiction book (1994) -
While growing up, Colleen was the regular recipient of piteous comments that often made her feel frustrated and angry.
Academic text (2010) -
The scene was piteous with the four of them standing together.
Fiction book (1991) -
Some enclosed piteous lists of the members of their communities who had died.
Academic text (2001) -
Her face was hot, almost stern, save for the soft gleam of piteous doubt.
-
It came out at whimper volume and soon dwindled to a piteous mewling.
Fiction book (1999) -
We hear nothing but "So-and-so is dead," and "So-and-so is dying"; and if there were anyone left to mourn, we should hear nothing but piteous laments everywhere.
Academic text (2004) -
Already in 1620, pamphlets had titles evoking the "Horror of Devastation" in Bohemia, in which the "piteous situation in that Kingdom and neighboring lands will be clearly demonstrated."
Academic text (1993) -
As I was sewing in my closet... Lord Hamlet, with his doublet all unlaced, pale as his shirt, and with a look... so piteous in purport, as if he had been loosed out of hell to speak of horrors, he comes before me.
-
"Help me," she whispered, then let out a piteous moan that pulled at everyone's heartstrings.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
Needing pity because they are hurt, sad, or unlucky
702
3.9
Very weak or sad in a way that makes people feel pity and dislike
443
1.8
Feeling very unhappy or suffering a lot
30
3.2
Making people feel sorry and want to help because of suffering or weakness
26
7.2
Unlucky in a way that makes people feel sorry
16
5.7
Extremely unhappy and suffering a lot
7
6.1
Making people feel sorry for someone or something
1
7.1
Unlucky and in need of help
How Pitiful
Surface Forms
Morphology
piteous = pity (semi-transparent) = pite + ous
Formed by the suffix '-ous' on the 'pity' stem, but the internal stem appears as 'pite-' (orthographic/stem variation) and the word is less common than the synonymous 'pitiful', which may make recognition harder for learners.
Etymology
Piteous comes from pity meaning 'feeling sorry for someone' and the ending -ous meaning 'full of'. So something piteous is 'full of pity' or makes you feel pity.