pitiful vs distressing

pitiful and distressing both are adjectives.

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

As adjectives, pitiful and distressing are synonyms defined as:

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

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