pathetic

American  

[puh-thet-ik] / pəˈθɛt ɪk /

Rarely pathetical

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:

   emotional, tender, touching

---

pathetic British  

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• hyperpathetic adjective
• hyperpathetically adverb
• pathetically adverb
• patheticalness noun
• quasi-pathetic adjective
• quasi-pathetically adverb
• unpathetic adjective
• unpathetically adverb

Etymology

Origin of pathetic

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

Explanation

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. A sports team losing ten games in a row is pathetic. Someone who constantly lies, even though the lies are obvious, is pathetic. Trying to dunk a basketball and missing by three feet is pathetic. When something is astoundingly lame or awful, people love to say, "Wow. How pathetic."

Example Sentences

But Maria said the government's efforts to pull Russia out of its demographic rut were "pathetic".

From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026

Maybe the most pathetic men are the most dangerous ones.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

"I am doing my small and pathetic best."

From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026

At the time of the November filing, Patricia Glaser, one of the attorneys representing Schmidt, called the lawsuit “fabricated pathetic allegations” made to “escape accountability from an existing arbitration over a business dispute.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2026

Clare winced at the confession, which felt deeply personal and a little pathetic.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

Related Words

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