pitiable

pitiable
pitiableness, n.pitiably, adv.
/pit"ee euh beuhl/, adj.
1. evoking or deserving pity; lamentable: pitiable, homeless children.
2. evoking or deserving contemptuous pity; miserable; contemptible: a pitiable lack of character.
[1425-75; late ME < OF piteable, equiv. to pite(er) to PITY + -able -ABLE]
Syn. 1, 2. See pitiful.

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  • Pitiable — Pit i*a*ble, a. [Cf. OF. pitiable, F. pitoyable.] Deserving pity; wworthy of, or exciting, compassion; miserable; lamentable; piteous; as, pitiable persons; a pitiable condition; pitiable wretchedness. [1913 Webster] Syn: Sorrowful; woeful; sad.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • pitiable — index deplorable, lamentable Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • pitiable — (adj.) mid 15c., from O.Fr. piteable (13c.; Mod.Fr. pitoyable), from piteer to pity (see PITY (Cf. pity)) …   Etymology dictionary

  • pitiable — 1 piteous, *pitiful Analogous words: sad, depressed, dejected, melancholy (see corresponding nouns at SADNESS): forlorn, hopeless, despairing, desperate, *despondent 2 despicable, *contemptible, sorry, scurvy, cheap, beggarly, shabby Analogous… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • pitiable — ► ADJECTIVE 1) deserving or arousing pity. 2) contemptibly poor or small. DERIVATIVES pitiably adverb …   English terms dictionary

  • pitiable — [pit′ē ə bəl] adj. [ME piteable < MFr < pitier: see PITY] arousing or deserving pity, sometimes mixed with scorn or contempt SYN. PITIFUL pitiableness n. pitiably adv …   English World dictionary

  • pitiable — piteous, pitiable, pitiful All three words are recorded from Middle English and share the basic meaning ‘arousing pity’ and are to some extent interchangeable (as in The abandoned children were a piteous sight), although pitiful is the most… …   Modern English usage

  • pitiable — adjective Date: 15th century 1. deserving or exciting pity ; lamentable < pitiable victims > 2. of a kind to evoke mingled pity and contempt especially because of inadequacy < a pitiable excuse > Synonyms: see contemptible • pitiableness noun • …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • pitiable — [[t]pɪ̱tiəb(ə)l[/t]] ADJ GRADED Someone who is pitiable is in such a sad or weak state that you feel pity for them. [WRITTEN] Her grandmother seemed to her a pitiable figure. Syn: pitiful Derived words: pitiably [[t]pɪ̱tiəbli[/t]] ADV GRADED ADV… …   English dictionary

  • pitiable — See pitiable, piteous …   Dictionary of problem words and expressions

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