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say it: PIT-uh-fuhl
pitiful is an adjective meaning "inspiring mixed contempt and pity". It is pronounced /ˈpɪtəfəl/ — PIT-uh-fuhl. It carries 3 recorded senses.
inspiring mixed contempt and pity
“their efforts were pathetic”
“pitiable lack of character”
“pitiful exhibition of cowardice”
bad; unfortunate
“my finances were in a deplorable state”
“a lamentable decision”
“her clothes were in sad shape”
“a sorry state of affairs”
deserving or inciting pity
“a hapless victim”
“miserable victims of war”
“the shabby room struck her as extraordinarily pathetic”
“piteous appeals for help”
“pitiable homeless children”
“a pitiful fate”
“Oh, you poor thing”
“his poor distorted limbs”
“a wretched life”
Definitions, synonyms and semantic relations for pitiful come from Princeton University’s WordNet. The pronunciation comes from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. Commonness is measured against a corpus of everyday English. Full sources and licences.