pathetic

Rarely pa·thet·i·cal

[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: emotional, tender, touching

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

Other Word Forms

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

"Somebody really needs to get told. I don't know who has passed that but it's pathetic for a million-pound tournament. It really is bad."

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Soon, even that pathetic excursion requires more zip than you can muster.

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It’s pathetic, dangerous, and shows a total lack of respect for boundaries, safety, and basic human decency.”

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A former FBI agent, Kyle Seraphin, publicized the trip and called the taxpayer funded travel in the middle of a shutdown “pathetic.”

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One minister said "this is pathetic," while another called the briefings "crazy".

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Related Words

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