1
as in pitiful
arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust
the sales presentation was a pitiable display of ineptitude and disorganization
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in pathetic
deserving pitying scorn (as for inadequacy)
a pitiable attempt at singing that generated snickers
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in poor
deserving of one's pity
a pitiable, starving old dog
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pitiable
Federal aid cuts are likely, given the current dismantling of our nation’s already-pitiable social safety net.
—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 4 Apr. 2025
Part of that is Doug, who is too pitiable to make a compelling center.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 18 Mar. 2025
Visiting the White Lotus’ Thailand hotel to learn new techniques and share her own, Belinda’s arc is less pitiable this season, but her purpose is arguably even more critical.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 11 Feb. 2025
The series’ pitiable ghost is Kayako (Takako Fuji), at the receiving end of violence in life, prone to continue inflicting violence on others in death.
—Gayle Sequeira, Vulture, 20 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pitiable
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 4 Apr. 2025
Part of that is Doug, who is too pitiable to make a compelling center.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 18 Mar. 2025
Visiting the White Lotus’ Thailand hotel to learn new techniques and share her own, Belinda’s arc is less pitiable this season, but her purpose is arguably even more critical.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 11 Feb. 2025
The series’ pitiable ghost is Kayako (Takako Fuji), at the receiving end of violence in life, prone to continue inflicting violence on others in death.
—Gayle Sequeira, Vulture, 20 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pitiable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pitiable
Adjective
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The pitiful performance by the Texas Rangers against the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2016 divisional round.—
Mac Engel,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 May 2025
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But the rates were pitiful: $9.87 for a 13-mile trip, $19.97 for a 25-mile trip and so on.—
Eli Tan,
New York Times,
14 May 2025
Adjective
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What with weakened teams and consistently pathetic performances, their league form on both their parts has been pathetic enough to be termed a dereliction of duty.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
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Take yesterday’s left hook out of nowhere by President Donald Trump, bragging about doing something that would bust even this pathetic budget.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
21 May 2025
Adjective
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This tactic is sometimes used to justify letting an employee go under the guise of poor performance.—
Sho Dewan,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2025
-
The product was released in 2023 to a poor reception, and discontinued before the company began winding down operations in February.—
Tom Huddleston Jr.,
CNBC,
24 May 2025
Adjective
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As holidays go, however, Flag Day can feel a bit lame.—
Kevin Fisher-Paulson,
San Francisco Chronicle,
8 June 2021
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My 11-year-old loved watching the pups roll balls and play a giant floor piano, but for non-dog owners (guilty as charged), parts of the series—like dressing dogs in little hats and outfits for a Parisian fashion show—feel lame.—
Tim Neville,
Outside Online,
23 Nov. 2020
Adjective
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My back hurt from that sad excuse for a chair (seriously, who designs dining chairs to feel like medieval torture devices?).—
Renae Gregoire,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2025
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Stewart is still thanked by gay fans by creating such a rare, highly visible (albeit sad) representation.—
Jordan Hoffman,
EW.com,
27 May 2025
Adjective
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The Baltimore Orioles fired manager Brandon Hyde last week after a wretched start to the season, which followed a winter in which general manager Mike Elias could not land an upper-tier arm to improve the pitching staff.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
21 May 2025
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Gilead is God’s kingdom on Earth, and the Commanders are his wretched priests.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
20 May 2025
Adjective
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Three or four people to one cabin was far cheaper than the same number of people booking three or four plane tickets to get to Spain.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
21 May 2025
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Once delivered, framing and panel assembly are faster and cheaper than conventional builds—cutting structural build time by 40% and labor costs by 20%.—
Jennifer Castenson,
Forbes.com,
21 May 2025
Adjective
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The Angels left-hander began the season as one of their high leverage relievers, but a miserable outing in the season’s first week told him something wasn’t right.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
26 May 2025
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Power wound up 19th, the highest-finishing Penske driver on a miserable day for the organization owned by Roger Penske.—
Jenna Fryer,
Hartford Courant,
25 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pitiable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pitiable. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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