pitiful
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.making you feel deep sadness or sympathy because something is in a very bad state.
adj.deserving or eliciting compassion or sympathy due to a state of suffering or misfortune.
Simple“The abandoned puppy looked pitiful sitting alone in the heavy rain.”
In context“The refugees presented a pitiful sight as they huddled together for warmth in the makeshift camp during the winter storm.”
Synonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.so small, weak, or bad that it is not enough and feels embarrassing.
adj.contemptibly small, inadequate, or of poor quality; often used to express disappointment.
Simple“He was offered a pitiful amount of money for all his hard work.”
In context“The team's performance was pitiful, showing a complete lack of coordination that left the fans booing before halftime.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 03 C2 Proficiency
adv.used in some regions to mean 'very' or 'sadly' when describing how someone acts.
adv.functioning as an adverb of manner or degree; typically used to mean 'pitifully' or 'pathetically'.
Simple“The child was crying pitiful when his balloon flew away.”
In context“In certain regional dialects, you might hear a speaker describe someone as acting 'pitiful' rather than using the standard adverbial form.”
UsageIn standard English, 'pitifully' is required; this form is restricted to specific regional or informal speech.
Synonymspitifullypathetically
From Middle English pityful, piteful, piteeful. By surface analysis, pit(i) + -ful.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.