pathetic
[ puh-thet-ik ]
/ pəˈθɛt ɪk /
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adjective
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.
Informal. miserably or contemptibly inadequate: In return for our investment we get a pathetic three percent interest. The carpenter we hired is pathetic.
Archaic. pertaining to, caused by, or affecting the emotions: pathetic outbursts.
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Sometimes pa·thet·i·cal .
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; see -ic
OTHER WORDS FROM pathetic
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH pathetic
bathetic, patheticDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for pathetic
British Dictionary definitions for pathetic
pathetic
/ (pəˈθɛtɪk) /
adjective
evoking or expressing pity, sympathy, etc
distressingly inadequatethe old man sat huddled in front of a pathetic fire
British informal ludicrously or contemptibly uninteresting or worthlessthe standard of goalkeeping in amateur football today is pathetic
obsolete of or affecting the feelings
pl n
pathetic sentiments
Derived forms of pathetic
pathetically, adverbWord Origin for pathetic
C16: from French pathétique, via Late Latin from Greek pathetikos sensitive, from pathos suffering; see pathos
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