piteous

Adjective

piteous (comparative more piteous, superlative most piteous)

1. Provoking pity, compassion, or sympathy.
   • […] with his strong arms
     He fastened on my neck, and bellowed out
     As he’d burst heaven; threw him on my father;
     Told the most piteous tale of Lear and him
     That ever ear receiv’d;c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount...
   • […] my strength, madam, is almost all gone away, and when I do any hard work, it’s quite a piteous sight to see me, for I am all in a tremble after it, just as if I had an ague […]1782, Frances Burney, Cecilia, London: T. Payne & Son and T. Cadell, Volume 2, Book 3, Chapter 4, p. 51

   Synonyms:

   heartbreaking, heartrending, lamentable, pathetic, pitiful, compassionate, pathetisad, pitiable, pitisome, sad

2. (obsolete) Showing devotion to God.
   • For the Lord kan delyuere piteuouse men fro temptacioun, and kepe wickid men in to the dai of dom to be turmentid;c. 1382–1395, John Wycliffe [et al.], edited by Josiah Forshall and Frederic Madden, The Holy Bible, […], volume (please specify |volume=I, II, III, or IV), Oxford: At the University Press, published...

   Synonyms:

   devout, pious, Allah-fearing, devoutful, frum, godfearing, heavenly-minded, inward, godly, observant

3. (obsolete) Showing compassion.
   • Thine eye begins to speak; set thy tongue there;
     Or in thy piteous heart plant thou thine ear;
     That hearing how our plaints and prayers do pierce,
     Pity may move thee ‘pardon’ to rehearse.1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to...
   • The water Nymphs that in the bottome playd
     Held up their pearled wrists and tooke her in,
     Bearing her straite to aged Nereus hall
     Who piteous of her woes rea[r’]d her lanke head,
     And gave her to his daughters to imbathe
     In nectar’d lavers strewd with asphodil,1634 October 9 (first performance; Gregorian calendar), [John Milton], edited by H[enry] Lawes, A Maske Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634: […] [Comus], London: […] [Augustine Matthews] for Hvmphrey...

   Synonyms:

   compassionate, tender

4. (obsolete) Of little importance or value.
   • […] calling to minde with heed
     Part of our Sentence, that thy Seed shall bruise
     The Serpents head; piteous amends, unless
     Be meant, whom I conjecture, our grand Foe
     Satan,1667, John Milton, “Book IX”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished...
   • […] my Business was now to try if I could not make Jackets out of the great Watch-Coats which I had by me, and with such other Materials as I had, so I set to Work a Taylering, or rather indeed a Botching, for I made most piteous Work of it.1719 May 6 (Gregorian calendar), [Daniel Defoe], The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, […], London: […] W[illiam] Taylor […], →OCLC, pages 158-159

   Synonyms:

   miserable, paltry, pathetic, mean, pitiful, base, contemptible, floccinaucinihilipilificatious, foolish, for the birds