adj ·Moderate ·High school level

Definitions

Adjective

1. 1
   That deserves, evokes or can be given pity; pitiful.

Adjective

1. 1
   inspiring mixed contempt and pity wordnet
2. 2
   deserving or inciting pity wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

ruefulwoefulabominableaffectingarrantatrocious

Example

More examples

"As a parent I was in a truly pitiable state."

Etymology

From Middle French [Term?], from Old French piteable. By surface analysis, piti- + -able.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.