What does pathetic mean?

Definitions for pathetic
pəˈθɛt ɪkpa·thet·ic

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word pathetic.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. hapless, miserable, misfortunate, pathetic, piteous, pitiable, pitiful, poor, wretchedadjective

    deserving or inciting pity

    "a hapless victim"; "miserable victims of war"; "the shabby room struck her as extraordinarily pathetic"- Galsworthy; "piteous appeals for help"; "pitiable homeless children"; "a pitiful fate"; "Oh, you poor thing"; "his poor distorted limbs"; "a wretched life"

  2. pathetic, pitiable, pitifuladjective

    inspiring mixed contempt and pity

    "their efforts were pathetic"; "pitiable lack of character"; "pitiful exhibition of cowardice"

  3. pathetic, ridiculous, sillyadjective

    inspiring scornful pity

    "how silly an ardent and unsuccessful wooer can be especially if he is getting on in years"- Dashiell Hammett

Wiktionary

  1. patheticadjective

    Arousing pity, sympathy, or compassion.

    The old man's pathetic pleas for forgiveness stirred the young man's heart.

  2. patheticadjective

    Arousing scornful pity or contempt, often due to miserable inadequacy.

  3. Etymology: From patheticus, from παθητικός, from παθητός, from παθείν.

ChatGPT

  1. pathetic

    Pathetic is an adjective that describes something as causing or evoking pity, sympathetic sadness, sorrow, or a similar emotion. It can also refer to something being woefully inadequate or unimpressive, often in a way that is pitiful or contemptible.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Patheticadjective

    expressing or showing anger; passionate

  2. Patheticadjective

    affecting or moving the tender emotions, esp. pity or grief; full of pathos; as, a pathetic song or story

  3. Etymology: [L. patheticus, Gr. paqhtiko`s, fr. paqei^n, pa`schein, to suffer: cf. F. pathtique. See Pathos.]

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Pathetic

    -al, pa-thet′ik, -al, adj. showing passion: affecting the tender emotions: causing pity, grief, or sorrow: touching: (anat.) trochlear.—adj. Pathemat′ic, pertaining to emotion.—adv. Pathet′ically.—ns. Pathet′icalness; Path′etism, animal magnetism; Path′etist, one who practises this.—The pathetic, the style or manner fitted to excite emotion. [Gr. pathētikos, subject to suffering.]

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of pathetic in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of pathetic in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

Examples of pathetic in a Sentence

  1. Donald Trump:

    No one has ever achieved anything significant without a chorus of critics standing on the sideline saying why it can't be done, nothing is easier or more pathetic than being a critic.

  2. Antonio Masa Caada:

    The [thieves] won’t turn up at court. It’s pathetic.

  3. Subodh Chandra:

    Eight days for gross negligence resulting in the death of a 12-year-old boy, how pathetic is that?

  4. Duncan Hunter:

    It's a pathetic response to a serious problem that has plagued the ability of the U.S. to successfully recover Americans held captive in the post-9/11 era.

  5. Donald Trump:

    It’s frankly outrageous and highly irresponsible for a left-wing blog … to drop highly salacious and flat-out false information on the Internet just days before he takes the oath of office, ... The fact that BuzzFeed and CNN made the decision to run with this unsubstantiated claim is a sad and pathetic attempt to get clicks.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

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Translations for pathetic

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"pathetic." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/pathetic>.

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