Distressing and Pitiful

Distressing

Distressing adjective - Of a kind to cause great distress.
Usage example: the distressing death of our favorite actor

Pitiful is a synonym for distressing in sad topic. In some cases you can use "Pitiful" instead an adjective "Distressing". popular alternative

Pitiful

Pitiful adjective - Deserving of one's pity.
Usage example: pitiful orphans who had lost everything in the war

Distressing is a synonym for pitiful in poor topic. You can use "Distressing" instead an adjective "Pitiful", if it concerns topics such as unfortunate, pathetic. popular alternative

Nearby Words: pity, pitiless, pitiable, piteous, pitifully
Cite this Source
Pitiful and Distressing. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 15, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/distressing/pitiful
Distressing & Pitiful. N.p., 2016. Web. 15 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/distressing/pitiful>.
Pitiful or Distressing. 2016. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/distressing/pitiful.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "distressing" and "pitiful" have occurred on timeline