pitiful vs touching

pitiful

adj
  • So appalling or sad that one feels or should feel sorry for it; eliciting pity. 

  • Of an amount or number: very small. 

adv
  • In a pitiful manner; pitifully; piteously; pathetically. 

touching

adj
  • Provoking sadness and pity; that can cause sadness or heartbreak among witnesses to a sad event or situation. 

noun
  • The act by which something is touched. 

  • A snack served with alcoholic drinks in an informal environment. 

prep
  • Regarding; concerning. 

How often have the words pitiful and touching occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )