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
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
The pitiful performance by the Texas Rangers against the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2016 divisional round.
—
Mac Engel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 May 2025
But the rates were pitiful: $9.87 for a 13-mile trip, $19.97 for a 25-mile trip and so on.
—Eli Tan, New York Times, 14 May 2025
Israel’s performance in climate mitigation, moving to renewable energies, is pitiful — just 12% when some countries are 70%.
—Jta Staff Report, Sun Sentinel, 5 May 2025
So many of the latter comes thanks to Niecy Nash’s Nurse DiDi, who seems to take the time to see her patients as worthwhile much more often than her cohorts, the self-important Dr. Jenna James (Laurie Metcalf) and pitiful nurse Dawn (Alex Borstein).
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pitiful
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Mac Engel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 May 2025
But the rates were pitiful: $9.87 for a 13-mile trip, $19.97 for a 25-mile trip and so on.
—Eli Tan, New York Times, 14 May 2025
Israel’s performance in climate mitigation, moving to renewable energies, is pitiful — just 12% when some countries are 70%.
—Jta Staff Report, Sun Sentinel, 5 May 2025
So many of the latter comes thanks to Niecy Nash’s Nurse DiDi, who seems to take the time to see her patients as worthwhile much more often than her cohorts, the self-important Dr. Jenna James (Laurie Metcalf) and pitiful nurse Dawn (Alex Borstein).
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pitiful
Cite this Entry
“Pitiful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pitiful. Accessed 9 Jun. 2025.
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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