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Webster 1913 Edition
Pitiful
Pit′i-ful
,Adj.
1.
Full of pity; tender-hearted; compassionate; kind; merciful; sympathetic.
The Lord is very
pitiful
, and of tender mercy. James v. 11.
2.
Piteous; lamentable; eliciting compassion.
A thing, indeed, very
pitiful
and horrible. Spenser.
3.
To be pitied for littleness or meanness; miserable; paltry; contemptible; despicable.
That’s villainous, and shows a most
pitiful
ambition in the fool that uses it. Shakespeare
Syn. – Despicable; mean; paltry. See
– Contemptible
. Pit′i-ful-ly
, adv.
Pit′i-ful-ness
, Noun.
Webster 1828 Edition
Pitiful
PIT'IFUL
,Adj.
1.
Miserable; moving compassion; as a sight most pitiful; a pitiful condition.2.
To be pitied for its littleness or meanness; paltry; contemptible; despicable. That's villainous, and shows a most pitiful ambition in the fool that uses it.
3.
Very small; insignificant.Definition 2024
pitiful
pitiful
English
Alternative forms
- pitifull (archaic)
Adjective
pitiful (comparative pitifuller, superlative pitifullest)
- (now rare) Feeling pity; merciful.
- 1851, Herman Melville, Moby-Dick:
- Straightway, he now goes on to make a full confession; whereupon the mariners became more and more appalled, but still are pitiful.
- 1851, Herman Melville, Moby-Dick:
- So appalling or sad that one feels or should feel sorry for it; eliciting pity.
- Scotland has a pitiful climate.
- Very small (of an amount or number).
- A pitiful number of students bothered to turn up.
Synonyms
- See also Wikisaurus:lamentable
Related terms
Translations
so appalling or sad that one feels or should feel sorry for it; eliciting pity
|
very small (of an amount)