Pitiful
Pitiful adjective - Deserving pitying scorn (as for inadequacy).
Usage example: that piece of junk is a pitiful excuse for a car
Sad is a synonym for pitiful in poor topic. In some cases you can use "Sad" instead an adjective "Pitiful", when it comes to topics like unfortunate, distressing, pathetic. popular alternative
Sad
Sad adjective - Deserving pitying scorn (as for inadequacy).
Usage example: no one expected the supermodel to be a great actress, but her acting is sad beyond belief
Pitiful is a synonym for sad in unfortunate topic. You can use "Pitiful" instead an adjective "Sad", if it concerns topics such as tragic. popular alternative
Mutual synonyms
Both words in one sentence
-
She works for the Big Bad and assassinates people, including an attempt on the main characters, but when the show delves beneath her exterior, she turns out to be rather sad and pitiful.
Source: Anime / Speed Grapher -
Bookends: At the end of Celerium, the second mission, Harper calls Menendez a sad, old, pitiful man.
- The scene turns into a sad one in which RK 2 grieves over the loss of RK 1 (although its more about the loss of RK 1s data) while Ky looks on such a pitiful scene.
Source: Funny / Guilty Gear
Cite this Source
Sad and Pitiful. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 15, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/pitiful/sad
Pitiful & Sad. N.p., 2016. Web. 15 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/pitiful/sad>.
Sad or Pitiful. 2016. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/pitiful/sad.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "pitiful" and "sad" have occurred on timeline