pitifully

Everyday

1. In a way that makes people feel pity. tree →
2. Disappointingly, very: «pitifully small», «pitifully few». tree →

In the lessons

In stories it shows misery; in everyday talk «pitifully small» means far too small. In maths problems, «pitifully few» means very few.

Examples

• The stray dog was pitifully thin. tree →
• The kitten cried pitifully. tree →
• Only a pitifully small crowd came. tree →
• He sobbed pitifully when his toy broke. tree →
• The house was pitifully cold. tree →
• There were pitifully few apples left. tree →
• The merchant, protesting his innocence, bewailed his wife and children, and tried pitifully to avert his fate. tree →

Note

From «pitiful». Two l's: pitifully.