pitiful

English

Alternative forms

pitifull (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English pityful, piteful, piteeful. By surface analysis, pit(i) +‎ -ful.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈpɪt.ɪ.fl̩/
Audio (US): (file)

Adjective

pitiful (comparative pitifuller, superlative pitifullest)

So appalling or sad that one feels or should feel sorry for it; eliciting pity.
Synonyms: piteous, pitisome, ruthful; see also Thesaurus:pitiful

Scotland has a pitiful climate.
Eliciting contempt.
Of an amount or number: very small.
Synonyms: few, meager, paltry, scant, scanty, thin

A pitiful number of students bothered to turn up.
(archaic) Feeling pity; merciful.
Synonyms: commiserative; see also Thesaurus:merciful, Thesaurus:pitying
- c. 1588–1593 (date written), [William Shakespeare], The Most Lamentable Romaine Tragedie of Titus Andronicus: […] (First Quarto), London: […] Iohn Danter, and are to be sold by Edward White & Thomas Millington, […], published 1594, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iii], signature D3, verso:
  Some ſay that Rauens foſter forlorne children, / The vvhilſt their ovvne birds famiſh in their neſts: / Oh be to me though thy hard hart ſay no, / Nothing ſo kinde but ſomething pittifull.
- 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC:
  Straightway, he now goes on to make a full confession; whereupon the mariners became more and more appalled, but still are pitiful.

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

so appalling or sad that one feels or should feel sorry for it — see also poor,‎ aw,‎ lamentable,‎ deplorable,‎ sad

Belarusian: жа́ласны (žálasny)
Bulgarian: жалък (bg) (žalǎk), клет (bg) (klet)
Catalan: lamentable
Chinese:
Cantonese: 慘 / 惨 (caam²)

Mandarin: 可憐 / 可怜 (zh) (kělián)
Sichuanese: 造孽 (zh) (zao4 nyie2)
Dutch: zielig (nl)
Finnish: säälittävä (fi)
French: pitoyable (fr)
German: erbärmlich (de), kläglich (de), jämmerlich (de), mitleiderregend (de), bemitleidenswert (de), bedauernswert (de), erbarmungswürdig, Mitleid erregend
Greek: αξιολύπητος (el) (axiolýpitos)
Ancient Greek: οἰκτρός (oiktrós)
Ingrian: poloin
Japanese: 可憐な (ja) (かれんな, karen na)
Latin: miser (la), flēbilis
Māori: whakaaroha, hanga aroha
Navajo: baa hojoobáʼí
Norman: pitchiabl'ye
Norwegian:
Norwegian bokmål: arm (no)

Norwegian nynorsk: arm
Polish: żałosny (pl)
Portuguese: lamentável (pt)
Russian: жа́лкий (ru) (žálkij), бе́дненький (ru) (bédnenʹkij), жа́лостный (ru) (žálostnyj), жа́лостливый (ru) (žálostlivyj)
Spanish: lastimoso (es), lastimero (es), penoso (es), lamentoso (es), achará (es), mísero (es)
Ukrainian: жа́лісний (žálisnyj)
Unami: këtëmaksi

of an amount or number: very small

Bulgarian: нищожен (bg) (ništožen)
Catalan: miserable (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 很少 (hěn shǎo)
Finnish: säälittävä (fi)
French: dérisoire (fr)
German: kümmerlich (de), armselig (de)
Russian: жа́лкий (ru) (žálkij), ничто́жный (ru) (ničtóžnyj), ми́зерный (ru) (mízernyj)
Spanish: mísero (es)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Dutch: ^{(please verify)} zielig (nl), ^{(please verify)} triest (nl) (1), ^{(please verify)} deplorabel (nl) (1)
Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} kompatinda
Hebrew: ^{(please verify)} מעורר רחמים (meʿorer raḥamim), ^{(please verify)} עלוב (he)
Indonesian: ^{(please verify)} kasihan (id)
Italian: ^{(please verify)} pietoso (it)

Adverb

pitiful (comparative more pitiful, superlative most pitiful)

(colloquial, dialect) In a pitiful manner; pitifully; piteously; pathetically.
- 1906, Rudyard Kipling, Puck of Pook's Hill, London: Penguin Books, published 1994, page 194:
  ‘She followed ’em, cryin’ pitiful, to the old boat on the Wall[.]’

Translations

in a pitiful manner; pitifully; piteously; pathetically

German: mitleidig (de), mitleidsvoll