pitiful

English

Alternative forms

• pitifull (archaic)

Etymology

From Middle English pityful, piteful, piteeful, equivalent to pity +‎ -ful.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɪt.ɪ.fl̩/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Adjective

pitiful (comparative pitifuller, superlative pitifullest)

1. (now rare) Feeling pity; merciful.
   • 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]:

     Some ſay that Rauens foſter forlorne children, / The whilſt their owne birds famiſh in their neſts: / Oh be to me though thy hard hart ſay no, / Nothing ſo kinde but ſomething pittiful.

   • 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.

2. So appalling or sad that one feels or should feel sorry for it; eliciting pity.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:lamentable

   Scotland has a pitiful climate.

3. Of an amount or number: very small.

   A pitiful number of students bothered to turn up.

Related terms

• pitiable
• pity

Translations

so appalling or sad that one feels or should feel sorry for it

• Belarusian: жа́ласны (žálasny)
• Bulgarian: жалък (bg) (žalǎk), клет (bg) (klet)
• Catalan: lamentable
• Chinese:

  Sichuanese: 造孽 (zh) (zao4 nyie2)

  Cantonese: 慘／惨 (caam²)

  Mandarin: 可憐／可怜 (zh) (kělián)

• 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: οἰκτρός (oiktrós)

• Ingrian: poloin
• Japanese: 可憐な (ja) (かれんな, karen na)
• Latin: miser (la), flēbilis
• Maori: whakaaroha, hanga aroha
• Navajo: baa hojoobáʼí
• Norman: pitchiabl'ye
• 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)
• Ukrainian: жа́лісний (žálisnyj)

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)

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)
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} lamentable (es)

Adverb

pitiful (comparative more pitiful, superlative most pitiful)

1. (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