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pitiful

pitiful

54 3.9
So bad or weak that people feel angry and look down on it
  • adjective
  • /ˈpɪtɪfəl/
translation icon : patético
  • I mean, just a pitiful excuse for a leader.

I mean, just a pitiful excuse for a leader.

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Examples

  • Don't you realise how pitiful that is, what you just asked me?

  • Then I surveyed the kitchen, which was pitiful compared to the one I had at home.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • I'm going to say that this is your pitiful attempt at lying.

  • My father also called me a pitiful loser.

  • Long hours and pitiful salaries.

  • What's this pitiful room supposed to be?

  • Anatomy, as we were all taught, revealed the pitiful inadequacy of the newborn brain.

    Academic text (1990)
  • Being able to restrain my emotions isn't a great victory; it's the pitiful proof of lost love.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • Henry Belt suddenly seemed a rather pitiful creature, a poor vagabond suited only for drunken bluster.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • His performance in the competition was so pitiful that it inspired pity from the audience.

Synonyms

terrible
vspitiful
1.0

Very bad or unpleasant and often serious

implies similar severity but with contempt that makes it pitiable
sad
vspitiful
842 1.0

Bad or unfortunate and likely to make people feel unhappy

adds harsh judgment and scorn to the unhappy situation
poor
vspitiful
838 1.0

Not good enough in quality or amount

signals a worse insufficiency that provokes scornful pity rather than just lack
pathetic
vspitiful
  • Offensive
702 3.9

Very weak or sad in a way that makes people feel pity and dislike

is more about being so poor it invites scornful pity
sorry
vspitiful
686 3.5

Of poor quality or making you feel pity

signals a worse state that also invites contempt not just pity
lousy
vspitiful
  • Informal
562 4.1

Very bad or mean and not liked by people

adds a sense that the poor state also evokes scornful pity
miserable
vspitiful
  • Offensive
116 3.7

A person who is very mean and deserves to be disliked

leans more toward appearing so bad that it also invites pity
dismal
vspitiful
62 4.5

Making you feel sad and hopeless

implies the same badness but with contempt toward the source
deplorable
vspitiful
38 6.8

Very bad and unacceptable, deserving strong criticism

shares condemnation but highlights a pitiable, contempt-evoking weakness
regrettable
vspitiful
33 4.2

Causes people to feel sorry

carries an added tone of being contemptibly bad or inadequate
hapless
vspitiful
26 7.2

Unlucky in a way that makes people feel sorry

implies deeper failure that can lead to scorn as well
abysmal
vspitiful
25 7.1

Very bad or of poor quality

combines extreme badness with a sense that it also evokes scornful pity
atrocious
vspitiful
19 7.0

Being very bad and of low quality

adds that it is so miserable it invites contempt alongside dislike
wretched
vspitiful
16 5.7

Extremely unhappy and suffering a lot

includes that misery but emphasizes scornful reaction to the situation
unimpressive
vspitiful
9 3.9

Not very good or likely to attract attention

is similar but more extreme, causing contempt as well as pity
pitiable
vspitiful
7 6.1

Making people feel sorry for someone or something

adds a sense of being so poor it provokes contempt as well
abject
vspitiful
  • Formal
7 7.7

Showing or feeling complete defeat and no hope

focuses more on provoking contempt alongside that miserable state
lamentable
vspitiful
  • Formal
6 6.7

Very bad and upsetting because it should not have happened

is stronger, suggesting contempt or scorn because of the failure
godawful
vspitiful
  • Informal
4 8.2

Very bad and unpleasant, of poor quality

carries the same strong badness but with added scornful pity
piteous
vspitiful
  • Literature
3 7.9

Making people feel sorry because someone is suffering

tends to add scornful or contemptuous feeling to that pity
woeful
vspitiful
3 6.0

Feeling very sad and showing deep sorrow, like after bad news

adds that the misery is so bad it can provoke contempt
dreadful
vspitiful
1 4.3

A very bad or shocking thing, often a poor story

means similar shock but stresses a pitiable, contempt-inviting nature

Antonyms

114 3.0

Seen by people as good and socially acceptable

laudable
  • Formal
12 7.2

Worthy of praise for doing something good

Compounds

A very bad show that makes people feel disappointed

How Bad

abysmal
25 7.1
pathetic
  • Offensive
702 3.9
pitiful
54 3.9
poor
838 1.0
weak
69 1.0

Surface Forms

pitiful positive
pitifuler comparative
pitifullest superlative

Morphology

pitiful = pity (semi-transparent) = pity + ful

Formally derived from 'pity' + '-ful', but the derogatory/pejorative nuance ('so bad as to inspire contemptuous pity') is a pragmatic shift not fully predictable from components.

Etymology

The word pitiful also comes from pity ('feeling sorry') and the ending -ful ('full of'). So it can mean 'so bad or weak that people feel sorry for it and also look down on it'.