pitoyable

pitiful, pathetic

adjective pee-twah-YAHBL Rare

Origin: from 'pitié' (pity), from Latin 'pietas'

Usage Note

Pitoyable has a strong negative register — it implies contempt as much as pity, closer to 'pathetic' than simply 'sad'. The adverb pitoyablement means 'pitifully'. It can describe both a person's performance (un résultat pitoyable) and a physical state (des conditions pitoyables — squalid conditions).

Examples

"Sa performance était vraiment pitoyable."

Natural Translation

His performance was truly pathetic.

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