pitifully

«pitifully» in Mova's school dictionary: In a way that makes people feel pity — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

adverb (pitifully)

meaning for a pupil

1) In a way that makes people feel pity. tree →

2) Disappointingly, very: «pitifully small», «pitifully few». tree →

sense 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.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «pitifully» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.