piteous

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Related to piteous: piteously

piteous

that which exhibits suffering and misery: piteous poverty

Not to be confused with:

pitiable – lamentable, wretched: a pitiable hovel

pitiful – evoking or deserving pity: a pitiful leper

pit·e·ous

(pĭt′ē-əs)

adj.

1. Demanding or arousing pity: a piteous appeal for help. See Synonyms at pathetic.

2. Archaic Pitying; compassionate.

[Middle English, from Old French piteus, from Late Latin pietōsus, merciful, from Latin pietās, compassion; see piety.]

pit′e·ous·ly adv.

pit′e·ous·ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

piteous

(ˈpɪtɪəs)

adj

1. exciting or deserving pity

2. archaic having or expressing pity

ˈpiteously adv

ˈpiteousness n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

pit•e•ous

(ˈpɪt i əs)

adj.

evoking or deserving pity; pathetic.

pit′e•ous•ly, adv.

pit′e•ous•ness, n.

syn: See pitiful.

piteous

, pitiable, pitiful - Piteous is generally not used when speaking of people, pitiable means "able to be pitied," and pitiful most often means "insignificant; below contempt."

See also related terms for insignificant.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Adj.

piteous - 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"

misfortunate, pathetic, hapless, poor, miserable, pitiable, pitiful, wretched

unfortunate - not favored by fortune; marked or accompanied by or resulting in ill fortune; "an unfortunate turn of events"; "an unfortunate decision"; "unfortunate investments"; "an unfortunate night for all concerned"

piteous

adjective pathetic, moving, affecting, distressing, sad, miserable, dismal, poignant, harrowing, heartbreaking, grievous, pitiful, woeful, deplorable, mournful, lamentable, plaintive, heart-rending, sorrowful, gut-wrenching, wretched, doleful, pitiable a piteous sight

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

piteous

adjective

1. Arousing or deserving pity:

pathetic, pitiable, pitiful, poor, rueful, ruthful.

2. Archaic. Feeling or expressing pity:

commiserative, compassionate, condolatory, pitying, sympathetic.

Archaic: pitiful.

Translations

مُثير للعَطْف والشَّفَقَه

soucitnýúpěnlivýžalostný

hjerteskærende

vorkunnsamur

acıklıhüzünlü

piteous

[ˈpɪtɪəs] ADJ [cry] → lastimero; [expression, story] → lastimoso
it was a piteous sight → daba lástima verlo

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

piteous

[ˈpɪtiəs] adj → pitoyable

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

piteous

adj → mitleiderregend; sounds → kläglich

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

piteous

[ˈpɪtɪəs] adj → pietoso/a

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

pity

(ˈpiti) noun

1. a feeling of sorrow for the troubles and sufferings of others. He felt a great pity for her.

2. a cause of sorrow or regret. What a pity (that) she can't come.

verb

to feel pity for (someone). She pitied him; She is to be pitied.

piteous (ˈpitiəs) adjective

pitiful. a piteous cry/sight.

ˈpiteously adverb

ˈpiteousness noun

ˈpitiable adjective

pitiful. He was in a pitiable condition; He made a pitiable attempt.

ˈpitiably adverb

ˈpitiful adjective

1. very sad; causing pity. a pitiful sight.

2. very poor, bad etc; causing contempt. a pitiful attempt; a pitiful amount of money.

ˈpitifully adverb

ˈpitifulness noun

ˈpitiless adjective

without pity. pitiless cruelty.

ˈpitilessly adverb

ˈpitilessness noun

ˈpityingly adverb

in a way which shows that one feels pity for someone. He looked at her pityingly.

have pity on

to feel pity for (someone because of something). Have pity on the old man.

take pity on

to act kindly, or relent, towards (someone), from a feeling of pity. He took pity on the hungry children and gave them food.

References in classic literature ?

But the Cock expostulated in piteous tones from his perch: "If you kill me, who will announce to you the appearance of the dawn?

View in context

These piteous wrecks that are my comrades here say we have reached the bottom of the scale, the final humiliation; they say that when a horse is no longer worth the weeds and discarded rubbish they feed to him, they sell him to the bull-ring for a glass of brandy, to make sport for the people and perish for their pleasure.

View in context

I was terror-stricken, my voice stuck in my throat, and I was in the deepest distress; nevertheless I summoned up my strength as well as I could, and in a trembling and piteous voice I addressed such words to him as induced him to stay the infliction of a punishment so severe.

View in context

1) Nay, but the piteous tale I've heard men tell Of Tantalus' doomed child, Chained upon Siphylus' high rocky fell, That clung like ivy wild, Drenched by the pelting rain and whirling snow, Left there to pine, While on her frozen breast the tears aye flow-- Her fate is mine.

2) At this thou touchest my most poignant pain, My ill-starred father's piteous disgrace, The taint of blood, the hereditary stain, That clings to all of Labdacus' famed race.

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Meanwhile the miser crept out of the bush half-naked and in a piteous plight, and began to ponder how he should take his revenge, and serve his late companion some trick.

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Suddenly the angry, squirrel-like expression of the princess' pretty face changed into a winning and piteous look of fear.

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Some faint attempts she had made with blue ribbon, to freshen the appearance of a dingy curtain, she now saw to be piteous.

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And he recalled the timid, piteous expression with which Anna had said to him at parting: "Anyway, you will see him.

View in context

But, as neither of these criminals answered to the name of Oliver, or knew anything about him, Nancy made straight up to the bluff officer in the striped waistcoat; and with the most piteous wailings and lamentations, rendered more piteous by a prompt and efficient use of the street-door key and the little basket, demanded her own dear brother.

View in context

But ere he entered his cabin, a light, unnatural, half-bantering, yet most piteous sound was heard.

View in context

But the monkey made such piteous cries, and seemed so unhappy when anyone attempted to catch him, that the two ladies begged the King to leave him a little longer with them, to which he consented.