Pitiful

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈpɪt.ɪ.fl̩/

Definitions

1. Inspiring feelings of sympathy or sorrow due to clear shortcomings or adversity
2. Causing a sense of compassion or distress because of evident flaws or unfortunate circumstances
3. Eliciting sorrow or empathy as a result of noticeable deficiencies or misfortune

Etymology: Pitiful is a straightforward compound: the noun "pity" with the suffix "-ful", meaning "full of" or "characterized by." Middle English speakers wrote it as "pityful" or "piteful," and the spelling settled into the modern form over time. The word's history runs through the noun it is built on. "Pity" came into English from Old French "pite," itself from Latin "pietas," a word with a broad sense of duty, loyalty and devotion to family or the gods. English "pity" narrowed toward feeling sorrow for someone's suffering, and "pitiful" followed that shift, first describing anything that deserved compassion and later coming to describe things that were simply wretched or inadequate. That later sense is the one that surprises many readers. Calling a performance "pitiful" today means it is poor enough to provoke contempt rather than tenderness, so the adjective has moved from inspiring sympathy to inspiring scorn.

Synonyms: miserable, wretched, deplorable

Antonyms: wonderful, excellent