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# 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 →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pitifully/#m1)

2) Disappointingly, very: «pitifully small», «pitifully few». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pitifully/#m2)

### 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 →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pitifully/#x1)
- The kitten cried pitifully. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pitifully/#x2)
- Only a pitifully small crowd came. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pitifully/#x3)
- He sobbed pitifully when his toy broke. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pitifully/#x4)
- The house was pitifully cold. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pitifully/#x5)
- There were pitifully few apples left. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pitifully/#x6)
- The merchant, protesting his innocence, bewailed his wife and children, and tried pitifully to avert his fate. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pitifully/#x7)

### note

From «pitiful». Two l's: pitifully.

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «pitifully» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pitifully/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.