piteous

[ pit-ee-uhs ]

adjective

1. evoking or deserving pity; pathetic:

   piteous cries for help.

   Synonyms: sorrowful, wretched, sad, woeful, lamentable, moving, affecting

2. Archaic. compassionate.

piteous

/ ˈpɪtɪəs /

adjective

1. exciting or deserving pity
2. archaic.
   having or expressing pity

Derived Forms

• ˈpiteously, adverb
• ˈpiteousness, noun

Other Words From

• pite·ous·ly adverb
• pite·ous·ness noun
• over·pite·ous adjective
• over·pite·ous·ly adverb
• over·pite·ous·ness noun
• un·pite·ous adjective
• un·pite·ous·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of piteous¹

1250–1300; Middle English; replacing pitous < Old French < Medieval Latin pietōsus. See pity, -ous

Synonym Study

See pitiful.

Example Sentences

From the cabin next door came Olive’s piteous moans and a deep voice.

From Literature

But Homes retains a quality of resigned sympathy with these anxious, immensely self-important characters — a tincture of compassion that makes them feel all the more piteous.

From Washington Post

As I type this — alone in an upstairs room — a piteous sound is issuing from the floor below.

From Washington Post

Humanlike figures are squashed, tortured and consumed by roaming brutes; piteous squawks and rattles pepper a soundtrack soothed by Dan Wool’s moving musical score.

From New York Times

When Sarah, introducing herself to her class, mentions a brother who died, her reflex not to seem piteous makes her explanation weirdly funny: “He was just like a baby, so it wasn’t sad or anything.”

From New York Times