PITEOUS Synonyms: 34 Similar and Opposite Words

piteous

adjective

ˈpi-tē-əs

Definition of piteous

as in pitiful

deserving of one's pity a piteous beggar huddled in the doorway of an abandoned building

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of piteous An old woman and an old man, innocent as lambs, clambering over rubble with their piteous backpacks and bundles. — David Bezmozgis, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2025 Subjects set up as snakes in the grass are given piteous endings. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 20 Feb. 2025 The word integral seemed to me particularly poignant, piteous. — Joyce Carol Oates, Harper's Magazine, 10 July 2023 In roaring luxury markets from Manhattan to San Francisco over the past few years, buyers were a piteous bunch. — Katy McLaughlin, WSJ, 6 Mar. 2019

Recent Examples of Synonyms for piteous

Adjective

Completing the hat trick in pitiful style, Taking on the World was shot on a shoestring budget, helmed by the man behind Highlander III, and forced to rely on stock footage of real-life footballers.

— Jon O'Brien, Vulture, 26 June 2026
Given the national team’s pitiful demise at the Oval, with New Zealand completing victory on the fifth morning, Ben Stokes’ revival in absentia feels like the only consolation from a miserable week.

— Hector Vickers, New York Times, 21 June 2026

Definition of pitiful

Adjective

But tensions have opened up between data center boosters and some community organizations that want to see more jobs and economic benefits go to local residents, especially predominantly poor Hispanic farm and food processing workers.

— Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026
Conventional wisdom usually attributes those failures to changing markets, disruptive competitors, or poor leadership.

— Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of poor

Adjective

Hashimi’s tale of unflagging effort amid wretched inequality astounds.

— Monitor reviewers, Christian Science Monitor, 23 July 2026
Sixteen children from the same family who were rescued from a dilapidated home in rural Ohio were living in wretched conditions with human waste all around, confined to just one room over much of the past four years, authorities said.

— CBS News, CBS News, 1 July 2026

Definition of wretched

Adjective

Rebounding from a miserable 2025 Hiring had rebounded this year from a lackluster 2025 in the face of the conflict in the Persian Gulf that has sent energy prices surging and put a strain on family budgets.

— Josh Boak, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026
Some are hopeful that the implementation of the plan would alleviate their daily miserable existence and improve conditions.

— Mkhaimar Abusada, The Conversation, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of miserable

Browse Nearby Words

pitchy

piteous

pitfall

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“Piteous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piteous. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of piteous

adjective

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