pit ‧ i ‧ ful /ˈpɪtɪf ə l/ BrE AmE adjective
1 . someone who is pitiful looks or sounds so sad and unfortunate that you feel very sorry for them ⇨ pity :
The refugees were a pitiful sight.
2 . a pitiful amount is very small:
The fee was pitiful – only about £60.
3 . very bad in quality SYN awful :
His performance was pitiful – five goals flew past him.
—pitifully adverb :
The dog was pitifully thin.