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pietoso

pitiful

adjective pyeh-TOH-zoh Rare
Descriptions & Qualities Quality

Also means

merciful

Usage Note

Pietoso has two distinct meanings that can confuse learners. In a religious or compassionate sense it means 'merciful, devout'. But in colloquial use — especially as a predicate — it often means 'pitiful, dreadful': La sua performance è stata pietosa (His performance was dreadful). Context determines which reading applies; the negative colloquial sense is increasingly dominant in informal Italian.

Examples

"Era uno spettacolo pietoso."

Natural Translation

It was a pitiful spectacle.

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