Word
pitiful
Phoneticspiti·ful
US/ˈpɪtəfəɫ/
UK/pˈɪtifəl/
Definitions
01sad and deserving sympathy
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.
“The abandoned puppy looked pitiful sitting alone in the heavy rain.”
“The refugees presented a pitiful sight as they huddled together for warmth in the makeshift camp during the winter storm.”
Synonyms
02very small or poor quality
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.
“He was offered a pitiful amount of money for all his hard work.”
“The team's performance was pitiful, showing a complete lack of coordination that left the fans booing before halftime.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
03in a sad way
C2 · Proficiency Dialect · Informal
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'.
“The child was crying pitiful when his balloon flew away.”
“In certain regional dialects, you might hear a speaker describe someone as acting 'pitiful' rather than using the standard adverbial form.”
Synonyms
Usage
Often used predicatively after linking verbs like 'look' or 'seem', or attributively before a noun.
Real-World Examples
“And as someone with a pitiful sense of direction, I rely a lot on map apps.” Etymology
From Middle English pityful, piteful, piteeful. By surface analysis, pit(i) + -ful.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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