piteous – English adjective declension

English adjective forms of piteous

Adjective: piteous

Comparison Forms

Synthetic

Perifrastic

Comparativemore piteous
Superlativemost piteous

Sample Sentences

  • […] with his strong arms
  • He fastened on my neck, and bellowed out
  • As he’d burst heaven; threw him on my father;
  • Told the most piteous tale of Lear and him
  • That ever ear receiv’d; [c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iii]:]
  • 1782, Frances Burney, Cecilia, London: T. Payne & Son and T. Cadell, Volume 2, Book 3, Chapter 4, p. 51,
  • […] my strength, madam, is almost all gone away, and when I do any hard work, it’s quite a piteous sight to see me, for I am all in a tremble after it, just as if I had an ague […]
  • In the deep, still darkness of midnight, I have been often aroused by the dead, heavy footsteps and the piteous cries of the chained gangs that passed our door. [1855, Frederick Douglass, My Bondage and My Freedom. […], New York; Auburn, N.Y.: Miller, Orton & Mulligan […], →OCLC:]
  • “[…] you go out to beg, first smearing yourself with mud and filth to make yourselves as piteous as you can.” [1931, Pearl S. Buck, chapter 11, in The Good Earth, New York: Modern Library, published 1944, pages 80–81:]
  • As fear chilled him to the bone, he loosed a final piteous groan. [2011, Felix Hagan, “Vengeance On My Mind”, in Dawn Breaks, the Monster Wakes...:]
  • For the Lord kan delyuere piteuouse men fro temptacioun, and kepe wickid men in to the dai of dom to be turmentid; [c. 1382–1395, John Wycliffe [et al.], edited by Josiah Forshall and Frederic Madden, The Holy Bible, […], volume (please specify |volume=I, II, III, or IV), Oxford: At the University Press, published 1850, →OCLC, II. Peter 2:9:]
  • Thine eye begins to speak; set thy tongue there;
  • Or in thy piteous heart plant thou thine ear;
  • That hearing how our plaints and prayers do pierce,
  • Pity may move thee ‘pardon’ to rehearse. [1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene 3]:]
  • The water Nymphs that in the bottome playd
  • Held up their pearled wrists and tooke her in,
  • Bearing her straite to aged Nereus hall
  • Who piteous of her woes rea[r’]d her lanke head,
  • And gave her to his daughters to imbathe
  • In nectar’d lavers strewd with asphodil, (Comus) [1634 October 9 (first performance; Gregorian calendar), [John Milton], edited by H[enry] Lawes, A Maske Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634: […] [Comus], London: […] [Augustine Matthews] for Hvmphrey Robinson, […], published 1637, →OCLC; reprinted as Comus: […] (Dodd, Mead & Company’s Facsimile Reprints of Rare Books; Literature Series; no. I), New York, N.Y.: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1903, →OCLC, page 29:]
  • With that the Goddess (piteous of his case,
  • Yet smiling at his ruful length of face)
  • Gives him a cov’ring, [1728, [Alexander Pope], “Book the Second”, in The Dunciad. An Heroic Poem. […], Dublin; London: […] A. Dodd, →OCLC, page 21:]
  • Or have they soft piteous eyes beheld
  • The weary wanderer thro’ the desert rove?
  • Or does th’ afflicted man thy heavenly bosom move? [1783, William Blake, “An Imitation of Spenser”, in Poetical Sketches, London: Basil Montagu Pickering, published 1868, page 37:]
  • […] calling to minde with heed
  • Part of our Sentence, that thy Seed shall bruise
  • The Serpents head; piteous amends, unless
  • Be meant, whom I conjecture, our grand Foe
  • Satan, [1667, John Milton, “Book IX”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC, lines 1030-1034:]
  • […] my Business was now to try if I could not make Jackets out of the great Watch-Coats which I had by me, and with such other Materials as I had, so I set to Work a Taylering, or rather indeed a Botching, for I made most piteous Work of it. [1719 May 6 (Gregorian calendar), [Daniel Defoe], The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, […], London: […] W[illiam] Taylor […], →OCLC, pages 158-159:]

Etymology

From Middle English pitous, from Old French piteus, pitus.