1
as in pathetic
deserving pitying scorn (as for inadequacy)
that piece of junk is a pitiful excuse for a car
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in lame
arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust
a pitiful coward
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in poor
deserving of one's pity
pitiful orphans who had lost everything in the war
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pitiful
My performance was beyond pitiful today, and has been for a while now.
—
Ryan Morik, Fox News, 3 Mar. 2025
Its pitiful history includes only one application, less than a decade after its formulation, to strike down a delegation in Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States, 295 U.S. 495 (1935).
—Marie Sapirie, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
Kubrick’s film is a hell of a black comedy that satirizes the mediocrity of middle-class life: In the director’s world, fathers are pitiful providers, mothers are blandly cheerful (while quietly suffering enormously), and the kids see far more than their parents do.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 21 Feb. 2025
Who knew that banning books, paying teachers pitiful salaries and threatening them with jail if they were caught with salacious book titles would be the holy grail of student success?
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pitiful
Ryan Morik, Fox News, 3 Mar. 2025
Its pitiful history includes only one application, less than a decade after its formulation, to strike down a delegation in Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States, 295 U.S. 495 (1935).
—Marie Sapirie, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
Kubrick’s film is a hell of a black comedy that satirizes the mediocrity of middle-class life: In the director’s world, fathers are pitiful providers, mothers are blandly cheerful (while quietly suffering enormously), and the kids see far more than their parents do.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 21 Feb. 2025
Who knew that banning books, paying teachers pitiful salaries and threatening them with jail if they were caught with salacious book titles would be the holy grail of student success?
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pitiful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pitiful
Adjective
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Michael Gandolfini pops up as a slimy Fisk mayoral staffer who wouldn’t look out of place in this magazine’s recent cover featuring the new young right, and his playing both pathetic and vaguely sympathetic is very fun to watch.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
4 Mar. 2025
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One of the most pathetic symbols of the new manosphere is Mark Zuckerberg.—
Robert B. Reich,
Hartford Courant,
4 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
As holidays go, however, Flag Day can feel a bit lame.—
Kevin Fisher-Paulson,
San Francisco Chronicle,
8 June 2021
-
My 11-year-old loved watching the pups roll balls and play a giant floor piano, but for non-dog owners (guilty as charged), parts of the series—like dressing dogs in little hats and outfits for a Parisian fashion show—feel lame.—
Tim Neville,
Outside Online,
23 Nov. 2020
Adjective
-
Road conditions are rapidly deteriorating, with the percentage of roads in poor condition expected to double in two years.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
18 Apr. 2025
-
But academic research has consistently demonstrated that stadiums are poor drivers of economic growth and an analysis published last month found stadium projects spur little growth in local construction industries.—
Jonathan Shorman,
Kansas City Star,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Kwong grew up hearing stories of every kind about Manzanar—scary, sad, funny and infuriating.—
Rachel Ng,
Smithsonian Magazine,
27 Mar. 2025
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Yet, whatever the deal means for Paul, Weiss, its acquiescence to Trump marks a sad day for the legal profession—or what once was a profession, and is now just another business.—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Their tech lets clothing companies show off a wide variety of sizes and styles—and for a whole lot cheaper.—
Alexandra York,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
-
In Flacco and Pickett, the Browns have two veteran backups on cheap contracts signed only for 2025.—
Zac Jackson,
New York Times,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The competition offers not only the last chance to salvage silverware from a wretched season but is also now vital to their hopes of playing in Europe again next season — and their finances.—
The Athletic UK Staff,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2025
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Tell me the wretched truth about America, because that speaks to our greatness.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Listen to this article Surrounded by coal miners, President Donald Trump signed an executive order vowing to roll back his predecessor’s policies limiting lung-damaging, climate-changing pollution from power plants that burn the planet’s dirtiest source of energy.—
Michael Hawthorne,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Apr. 2025
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The floors are getting dirty and workers have no access to vacuums or mops.—
Lisa Song,
ProPublica,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Before Minecraft, the turnout for major films at the box office has been middling to miserable.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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Daryl was born in 1952, four years after the club’s last championship and just in time for four decades of miserable baseball on the lakeshore.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pitiful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pitiful. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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