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View synonyms for pitiable

pitiable

[ pit-ee-uh-buhl ]

adjective

  1. evoking or deserving pity; lamentable:

    pitiable homeless pets.

  2. evoking or deserving contemptuous pity; miserable; contemptible:

    a pitiable lack of character.



pitiable

/ ˈpɪtɪəbəl /

adjective

  1. exciting or deserving pity or contempt
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Derived Forms

  • ˈpitiably, adverb
  • ˈpitiableness, noun
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Other Words From

  • pit·i·a·ble·ness noun
  • pit·i·a·bly adverb
  • un·pit·i·a·ble adjective
  • un·pit·i·a·bly adverb
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Word History and Origins

Origin of pitiable1

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Old French piteable, equivalent to pite(er) “to pity” + -able adjective suffix; pity, -able
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Synonym Study

See pitiful.
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Example Sentences

Maybe he had taken pity on me, doing a charitable deed by showing affection to a pitiable fat girl.

From Vox

Syrians are being massacred nearly every day, and sending out pitiable cries for help.

The pitiable last photo of the naked megastar projected into the courtroom as Rogers testified is unforgettable.

Amy is, at most, a pitiable woman trapped in a marriage that she has no idea how to fix.

All around us, pundits spend their time bemoaning the pitiable state of men.

Eerie orange cones captured in an aerial photograph will show each precise spot where a part of this pitiable child came to rest.

A very few weeks flew over the head of the needy man, before he was reduced to the same pitiable straits.

He cursed himself inwardly for a fool and a dolt—the more pitiable because he accounted himself cunning above others.

This loss, more than anything else, brought home to the monarch his pitiable condition.

Surely this pitiable case ought to be brought to the attention of the Actors' Benevolent Association.

His eyes were fixed and staring, and his face deadly pale, presenting altogether a most pitiable and wretched spectacle.

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pithypitier