pitiful : Dictionary / Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS, TU Chemnitz)

English Dictionary: pitiful	by the DICT Development Group
2 results for pitiful
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
pitiful adj inspiring mixed contempt and pity; "their efforts were pathetic"; "pitiable lack of character"; "pitiful exhibition of cowardice" Synonym(s): pathetic, pitiable, pitiful bad; unfortunate; "my finances were in a deplorable state"; "a lamentable decision"; "her clothes were in sad shape"; "a sorry state of affairs" Synonym(s): deplorable, distressing, lamentable, pitiful, sad, sorry deserving or inciting pity; "a hapless victim"; "miserable victims of war"; "the shabby room struck her as extraordinarily pathetic"- Galsworthy; "piteous appeals for help"; "pitiable homeless children"; "a pitiful fate"; "Oh, you poor thing"; "his poor distorted limbs"; "a wretched life" Synonym(s): hapless, miserable, misfortunate, pathetic, piteous, pitiable, pitiful, poor, wretched
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Pitiful \Pit"iful\, a. 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. --Shak. Syn: Despicable; mean; paltry. See {Contemptible}. -- {Pit"ifully}, adv. -- {Pit"ifulness}, n.