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Pitiful vs Shocking - What's the difference?

pitiful | shocking |

As adjectives the difference between pitiful and shocking

is that pitiful is feeling pity; merciful while shocking is inspiring shock; startling.

As a verb shocking is

present participle of lang=en.

As a noun shocking is

the application of an electric shock.

pitiful

English

Alternative forms

* pitifull (archaic)

Adjective

(pitifuller)
  • Feeling pity; merciful.
  • * 1851 , Herman Melville, Moby-Dick :
    • Straightway, he now goes on to make a full confession; whereupon the mariners became more and more appalled, but still are pitiful .
  • So appalling or sad that one feels or should feel sorry for it; eliciting pity.
    • Scotland has a pitiful climate.
  • Very small (of an amount or number).
    • A pitiful number of students bothered to turn up.

    Synonyms

    * See also

    Related terms

    * pitiable * pity

    shocking

    English

    Adjective

    (head)
  • Inspiring shock; startling
  • Unusually obscene or lewd
  • (colloquial) Extremely bad

    • Synonyms

    See

    Verb

    (head)

    • Noun

    (en noun)
  • The application of an electric shock.
  • * 2005 , Will Tuttle, The World Peace Diet
    • We terrorize millions of vulnerable and defenseless animals daily with painful shockings , beatings, brandings,

    Anagrams

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