单词 | pitiable |
释义 | pitiable (once / 1889 pages) adj Pitiable describes something that's pathetic or miserable. After learning about the pitiable conditions of schools in parts of rural India, you might decide to donate supplies to them. Just looking at pitiable gives you clues to its meaning. Pity is a feeling of sorrow for someone or something else, so something that's pitiable is worthy of pity. There's often a little bit of scorn thrown in, like the pitiable amount of cereal your stingy grandmother pours in your bowl at breakfast. In this case, there's some blame cast on the grandmother because she chooses to give so little cereal. WORD FAMILYpitiable: pitiablest, pitiably+/piteous: piteously/pitiful: pitifulest, pitifully/pitiless: pitilessly, pitilessness/pity: piteous, pitiable, pitied, pities, pitiful, pitiless, pitying, self-pity/pitying: unpitying/unpitying: unpityingly USAGE EXAMPLESThe pitiable pictures from the devastated city showed the true cost of Obama’s abdication. Washington Post(Dec 22, 2016) Some confused Texans, for their pitiful and pitiable part, claim that they invented cheese dip. Washington Times(Nov 08, 2016) She lay on her stomach, feeling like a stupid, pitiable animal, and hissed as Mariam arranged damp cloths across her bloodied back and thighs. Khaled Hosseini, A Thousand Splendid Suns(2007) 1adj deserving or inciting pity pitiable homeless children Syn hapless, miserable, misfortunate, pathetic, piteous, pitiful, poor, wretched unfortunate not favored by fortune; marked or accompanied by or resulting in ill fortune 2adj inspiring mixed contempt and pity pitiable lack of character Syn pathetic, pitiful contemptible deserving of contempt or scorn |
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