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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pitiful
Yet Plemons imbues him with despair, finding a pitiful fragility in his aggression.
—
Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2025
Jerry Jeudy has struggled, and the depth behind Jeudy has been pitiful.
—Matthew Schmidt, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
Minnesota tallied a pitiful four assists in the second half, lowlighted by a final frame — where the real problems were truly on display — in which the Wolves had just one helper while shooting 24% from the field.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 28 Oct. 2025
Sewell did a lot to rescue quarterback Jared Goff’s career and transform the pitiful Lions into annual Super Bowl contenders.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pitiful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pitiful
Adjective
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Add the pathetic reality that Illinois is the very definition of unfriendliness for business development and job creation, and the only thing Pritzker and his accomplices can campaign on is the vilification of Trump, facts be damned.—
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There are solutions to Joe Biden’s failing and pathetic attempts to raise money to build a presidential library.—
Adjective
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His other go-to bogeyman, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, is now firmly in his lame-duck era as his term ends this spring.—
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Your ultra-lame social media posts (with awful production values) don’t cut it by a Colorado mile high.—
Adjective
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Flooding may occur in poor drainage and urban areas.—
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In recent games, KU’s communication has been pretty poor on defense and that’s led to players taking (and too often missing) wide-open 3-pointers.—
Adjective
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In Democratic cities, people demand 38 meetings and three dozen environmental assessments before tearing down a crack den to build a nursery for sad orphans.—
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Although there are infinitely many happy numbers there are also infinitely many sad ones.—
Adjective
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Researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China have designed a new sodium-sulfur battery with higher power density and discharge capacity than before, enabling a cheaper, safer alternative to lithium-ion batteries.—
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Fentanyl is cheap, compact, and lethal at microscopic doses, produced through decentralized networks designed to survive disruption.—
Adjective
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Wednesday’s dour stalemate with Leeds United at Anfield represented a wretched start to 2026.—
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This wretched regime is doomed to be overthrown by the risen populace and rebellious youth.—
Adjective
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The checklist for cleaning the kitchen was probably just washing dirty dishes, wiping down countertops, and mopping the floors.—
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Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty.—
Adjective
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On a tour full of reasons to be miserable, England will leave Australia with at least one ray of light for the future.—
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The series centers around Timmy Turner, a miserable 10-year-old whose life improves significantly after he is given two fairy godparents named Wanda and Cosmo.—
Cite this Entry
“Pitiful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pitiful. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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