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Could someone please explain the meaning of encore at the point highlighted in the following passage:

Des plaideurs éhontes me déléguaient leurs femmes, s’ils savaient mon intrigue avec l’épouse d’un sénateur, leur fils, quand j’affichais follement ma passion pour quelque jeune mime. . . . Les plus piteux était encore ceux qui, pour me plaire, m’entretenaient de littérature.

The definitions that I’ve found in dictionaries don’t seem appropriate. "However" would seem to fit, but I haven't seen that definition in a dictionary.

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The proper definition is the following (TLFi) ;

III B. [Par opposition à un énoncé persuasif ou dissuasif, « encore » indique qu'après réflexion, on va passer outre ou s'accommoder de la situation énoncée, mais seulement jusqu'à un certain point] Synonyme : partiel à la rigueur, tout bien réfléchi.

  • Une côte de bœuf n'est pas pour me déplaire, Tout de même c'est encor vous que je préfère Et je le dis bien haut (PONCHON, Muse cabaret, 1920, p. 151)
  • Tout bien réfléchi, les plus piteux était ceux qui, pour me plaire, m’entretenaient de littérature.

The persons described first, because of their actions, are being considered as pathetic (piteux), but most pathetic were those persons whose behaviour is related last.

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  • Thank you for responding, But I’m still a somewhat unclear. “Tout bien réfléchi” suggests to me “all things considered” or “on reflection”. It doesn’t seem as precise as the CNRTL definition, which encompasses the notion of going beyond an earlier utterance (that one broadly supports).
    – justerman
    Mar 22, 2019 at 18:42
  • I have an English translation that seems to ignore anything that "encore" brings to the sentence: "The sorriest of all were those who tried to win me with talk about literature." That suggests to me that the translator regarded "encore" as simply filler
    – justerman
    Mar 22, 2019 at 18:43

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