pathetic

[ puh-thet-ik ]

adjective

1. causing or evoking pity, sympathetic sadness, sorrow, etc.; pitiful; pitiable:

   Conditions at the refugee camp were far more pathetic than anything our training had prepared us for.

   Synonyms: sad, tragic, piteous, plaintive

2. Informal. miserably or contemptibly inadequate:

   In return for our investment we get a pathetic three percent interest. The carpenter we hired is pathetic.

3. Archaic. pertaining to, caused by, or affecting the emotions:

   pathetic outbursts.

   Synonyms: tender, touching, emotional

pathetic

/ pəˈθɛtɪk /

adjective

1. evoking or expressing pity, sympathy, etc
2. distressingly inadequate

   the old man sat huddled in front of a pathetic fire

3. informal.
   ludicrously or contemptibly uninteresting or worthless

   the standard of goalkeeping in amateur football today is pathetic

4. obsolete.
   of or affecting the feelings

plural noun

1. pathetic sentiments

Derived Forms

• paˈthetically, adverb

Other Words From

• pa·thet·i·cal·ly adverb
• pa·thet·i·cal·ness noun
• hy·per·pa·thet·ic adjective
• hy·per·pa·thet·i·cal·ly adverb
• qua·si-pa·thet·ic adjective
• qua·si-pa·thet·i·cal·ly adverb
• un·pa·thet·ic adjective
• un·pa·thet·i·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of pathetic¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Middle French pathétique or from Late Latin pathēticus, from Greek pathētikós “capable of emotion, impassioned, sensitive,” equivalent to pathēt(ós) “subject to suffering; one who has suffered; subject to external influence or change; (in medicine) diseased” (derivative of páschein “to suffer”) + -ikos adjective suffix; -ic

Word History and Origins

Origin of pathetic¹

C16: from French pathétique, via Late Latin from Greek pathetikos sensitive, from pathos suffering; see pathos

Example Sentences

He told the Commons the government's proposals were "pathetic" and "should have been done centuries ago".

From BBC

McLendon-Covey spoke to the Los Angeles Times about what she was looking for in a new part, haunted hospitals, and her love of playing a character with a pathetic personal life.

From Los Angeles Times

He remains a pathetic bully, but the Democrats have failed to overcome him.

From Salon

Even inside the Republican Party, Trump’s effort to turn the page seemed doomed and pathetic; polls in late 2022 began to show him getting swamped in the GOP primary by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

From Slate

“It’s just who can lie more? You can’t believe any of it from either side. It’s just pathetic on either side,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• deplorable
• feeble
• heartbreaking
• miserable
• pitiful
• poignant
• sorry
• woeful