deserving or inciting pity
"a hapless victim"
"miserable victims of war"
"the shabby room struck her as extraordinarily pathetic"
"piteous appeals for help"
"pitiable homeless children"
"a pitiful fate"
"Oh, you poor thing"
"his poor distorted limbs"
"a wretched life"
inspiring scornful pity
"how silly an ardent and unsuccessful wooer can be especially if he is getting on in years"
Arousing pity, sympathy, or compassion; exciting pathos.
"The stray dog shivering in the rain elicited a truly pathetic response from everyone on the street."