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)

(now rare) Feeling pity; merciful.
- c. 1588–1593, [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 222241046, [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 57395299:
  Straightway, he now goes on to make a full confession; whereupon the mariners became more and more appalled, but still are pitiful.
So appalling or sad that one feels or should feel sorry for it; eliciting pity.
Synonyms: see Thesaurus:lamentable
Scotland has a pitiful climate.
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:
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: οἰκτρός (oiktrós)
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)
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)
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 rɑḥɑmim), ^{(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)

(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