PITIFUL: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for PITIFUL?

Need another word that means the same as “pitiful”? Find 45 synonyms and 30 related words for “pitiful” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Pitiful” are: deplorable, distressing, lamentable, sad, sorry, pathetic, pitiable, hapless, miserable, misfortunate, piteous, poor, wretched, disturbing, heartbreaking, moving, affecting, touching, plaintive, poignant, forlorn, abject, tragic, woeful, grievous, paltry, meagre, beggarly, insufficient, insignificant, trifling, negligible, derisory, dreadful, awful, terrible, hopeless, bad, feeble, well below par, inadequate, contemptible, despicable, laughable, worthless

Pitiful as an Adjective

Definitions of "Pitiful" as an adjective

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “pitiful” as an adjective can have the following definitions:

• Compassionate.
• Very small or poor; inadequate.
• Deserving or inciting pity.
• Deserving or arousing pity.
• Bad; unfortunate.
• Deserving or inciting pity- Galsworthy.
• Inspiring mixed contempt and pity.

Synonyms of "Pitiful" as an adjective (45 Words)

abject	Most unfortunate or miserable. The abject condition of the peasants.
affecting	Touching the emotions; moving. A highly affecting account of her experiences in prison.
awful	Extreme in degree or extent or amount or impact. An awful risk.
bad	Feeling physical discomfort or pain tough is occasionally used colloquially for bad. A bad cut.
beggarly	Marked by poverty befitting a beggar. The stipend in 1522 was a beggarly 26 shillings.
contemptible	Deserving contempt; despicable. A display of contemptible cowardice.
deplorable	Bringing or deserving severe rebuke or censure. A deplorable act of violence.
derisory	Ridiculously small or inadequate. His derisory gaze swept over her.
despicable	Deserving hatred and contempt. A despicable crime.
distressing	Bad; unfortunate. Some very distressing news.
disturbing	Causing anxiety; worrying. Distressing or disturbing news.
dreadful	Very unpleasant. You re a dreadful flirt.
feeble	Lacking strength of character. Feeble efforts.
forlorn	Pitifully sad and abandoned or lonely. The last forlorn attempt.
grievous	Of great gravity or crucial import; requiring serious thought. Grievous bodily harm.
hapless	(especially of a person) unfortunate. The hapless victims of the disaster.
heartbreaking	Causing or marked by grief or anguish. Her sigh was heartbreaking.
hopeless	Very bad or incompetent. Jess looked at him in mute hopeless appeal.
inadequate	Not sufficient to meet a need. Inadequate funding.
insignificant	Meaningless. A minor insignificant bureaucrat.
insufficient	Of a quantity not able to fulfill a need or requirement. There was insufficient evidence to convict him.
lamentable	(of circumstances or conditions) very bad; deplorable. The industry is in a lamentable state.
laughable	Arousing or provoking laughter. A contribution so small as to be laughable.
meagre	Deficient in amount or quality or extent. A tall meagre man.
miserable	Of very poor quality or condition. Horribly wet and miserable conditions.
misfortunate	Deserving or inciting pity.
moving	Used of a series of photographs presented so as to create the illusion of motion. The moving parts of the machine.
negligible	Not worth considering. The effect was negligible.
paltry	Petty; trivial. A paltry wage.
pathetic	Inspiring scornful pity- Dashiell Hammett. He s a pathetic excuse for a man.
piteous	Deserving or inciting pity- Galsworthy. Piteous appeals for help.
pitiable	Deserving or inciting pity- Galsworthy. Pitiable lack of character.
plaintive	Expressing sorrow. A plaintive cry.
poignant	Keenly distressing to the mind or feelings. Poignant anxiety.
poor	(of a person) deserving of pity or sympathy. The proverbial poor artist living in a garret.
sad	Of things that make you feel sad. Sad news.
sorry	Feeling sad or distressed through sympathy with someone else’s misfortune. He looks a sorry sight with his broken jaw.
terrible	Used to emphasize the extent of something unpleasant or bad. The stranger gave a terrible smile.
touching	Arousing affect. His gratitude was simple and touching.
tragic	Relating to tragedy in a literary work. The tragic parents reached the end of their tether.
trifling	Not worth considering. A trifling sum.
well below par	In good health especially after having suffered illness or injury.
woeful	Of very poor quality or condition. Woeful treatment of the accused.
worthless	Having no real value or use. Joan had been deserted by a worthless husband.
wretched	Deserving or inciting pity- Galsworthy. Wretched prisoners huddled in stinking cages.

Usage Examples of "Pitiful" as an adjective

• A pitiful attempt to impress her.
• Two children in a very pitiful state.
• Pitiful exhibition of cowardice.
• A pitiful fate.

Associations of "Pitiful" (30 Words)

dejected	Sad and depressed; dispirited. He stood in the street looking dejected.
deplorable	Deserving strong condemnation; completely unacceptable. My finances were in a deplorable state.
disastrous	Having extremely unfortunate or dire consequences; bringing ruin. United made a disastrous start to the season.
grieve	Feel grief. She grieved for her father.
hapless	Deserving or inciting pity. A hapless victim.
inauspicious	Contrary to your interests or welfare. My words with inauspicious thunderings shook heaven.
inferior	Of low or inferior quality. Inferior goods.
lamentable	Full of or expressing sorrow or grief. A lamentable decision.
loser	A contestant who loses the contest. South appeared to have three losers a trump a diamond and a spade.
miserable	(of a person) habitually morose. A miserable man in his late sixties.
mournful	Expressing sorrow. Stared with mournful eyes.
moving	Producing strong emotion, especially sadness or sympathy. The moving parts of the machine.
pathetic	Inspiring mixed contempt and pity. He s a pathetic excuse for a man.
pathos	A quality that evokes pity or sadness. The actor injects his customary humour and pathos into the role.
piteous	Deserving or inciting pity. A piteous cry.
pitiable	Deserving or inciting pity. Pitiable lack of character.
pity	A feeling of sympathy and sorrow for the misfortunes of others. It s a pity he couldn t do it.
regrettable	(of conduct or an event) giving rise to regret; undesirable; unwelcome. The loss of this number of jobs is regrettable.
ruth	The great-grandmother of king David whose story is told in the Book of Ruth in the Old Testament.
sad	Of things that make you feel sad Christina Rossetti. She doesn t like sad movies.
sadness	The quality of excessive mournfulness and uncheerfulness. It is one of life s sadnesses.
sorrow	An event or circumstance that causes sorrow. He tried to express his sorrow at her loss.
sorrowful	Causing grief. Sorrowful news.
sorry	Feeling regret or penitence. We feel so ashamed that we keep quiet about the whole sorry business.
touching	Arousing affect. A touching reconciliation scene.
tragic	Causing or characterized by extreme distress or sorrow. She wears tragic cardigans usually done up the wrong way.
unfortunate	A person who is considered immoral or lacking in religious faith or instruction, especially a prostitute. Those unfortunates whose lives are marred by poverty.
unhappy	Not satisfied or pleased with (a situation. Unhappy over her departure.
unlucky	Marked by or promising bad fortune. The visitors were unlucky to have a goal disallowed.
wretched	Of very poor quality or condition. A wretched life.