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- Dictionarypathetic/pəˈθɛtɪk/
adjective
- 1. arousing pity, especially through vulnerability or sadness: "she looked so pathetic that I bent down to comfort her" Similar Opposite
- 2. miserably inadequate; of very low standard: "he's a pathetic excuse for a man" Similar Opposite
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Jun 24, 2016 · If you describe a person or animal as pathetic, you mean that they are sad and weak or helpless, and they make you feel very sorry for them. ...a pathetic little dog with a curly tail. The small group of onlookers presented a pathetic sight. She now looked small, shrunken and pathetic.
adj. 1. evoking or expressing pity, sympathy, etc. 2. distressingly inadequate: the old man sat huddled in front of a pathetic fire. 3. informal Brit ludicrously or contemptibly uninteresting or worthless: the standard of goalkeeping in amateur football today is pathetic. 4. obsolete of or affecting the feelings. pl n. pathetic sentiments.
Something pathetic inspires pity and contempt. If your backhand is pathetic, you probably shouldn't try out for the tennis team. These days, when you see the word pathetic, it's pretty clear that it's no compliment. This is an insulting word for things that are so bad they bum you out.
Pathetic definition: Arousing or deserving of sympathetic sadness and compassion.
Pathetic adjective. affecting or moving the tender emotions, esp. pity or grief; full of pathos; as, a pathetic song or story. Etymology: [L. patheticus, Gr. paqhtiko`s, fr. paqei^n, pa`schein, to suffer: cf. F. pathtique. See Pathos.]
There are five meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun pathetic, three of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence. pathetic has developed meanings and uses in subjects including. anatomy (1890s) neurology (1890s) See meaning & use.
1. Arousing or deserving of sympathetic sadness and compassion: "The old, rather shabby room struck her as extraordinarily pathetic" (John Galsworthy). 2. Arousing or deserving of scornful pity.
Adjective. ( en adjective ) Arousing pity, sympathy, or compassion. The old man’s pathetic pleas for forgiveness stirred the young man’s heart. Arousing scornful pity or contempt, often due to miserable inadequacy. You can't even run two miles? That’s pathetic . You're almost 26 years old and you still can't hold a real job? That's pathetic .
Expressing or showing passion; passionate. Full of pathos; affecting or moving the feelings; exciting pity, sorrow, grief, or other tender emotion; affecting: as, a pathetic song or discourse; pathetic expostulation. In anatomy, trochlear: in designation of or reference to the fourth crania1 nerve. noun A trochlear or pathetic nerve; a patheticus.
Meaning: Inspiring scornful pity. Synonyms: pathetic; ridiculous; silly.
