distressing vs pitiful

distressing and pitiful both are adjectives.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
distressing	No	Yes	No	No
pitiful	No	Yes	No	No

As adjectives, distressing and pitiful are synonyms defined as:

Other synonyms of distressing include deplorable, lamentable, sad, sorry.

distressing (adjective)	pitiful (adjective)
bad; unfortunate	bad; unfortunate
causing distress or worry or anxiety	inspiring mixed contempt and pity
	deserving or inciting pity