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pathetic

[ puh-thet-ik ]
/ pəˈθɛt ɪk /

adjective

causing or evoking pity, sympathetic sadness, sorrow, etc.; pitiful; pitiable: a pathetic letter; a pathetic sight.
affecting or moving the emotions.
pertaining to or caused by the emotions.
miserably or contemptibly inadequate: In return for our investment we get a pathetic three percent interest.

QUIZZES

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Commas mark divisions in sentences. Periods end declarative sentences. Apostrophes show possession. Easy, right? Well, punctuation can get pretty tricky—fast. Think you got what it takes to be a punctuation expert? Take our quiz to prove it!
Question 1 of 10
Which of the options below is the best punctuation for the sentence? It__s your turn to pick the movie __ but your sister gets to pick the board game we _ re going to play.
Its your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.
It’s your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game were going to play.
It’s your turn to pick the movie, but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.
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Often pa·thet·i·cal.

Origin of pathetic

1590–1600; < Late Latin pathēticus < Greek pathētikós sensitive equivalent to pathēt(ós) made or liable to suffer (verbid of páschein to suffer + -ikos -ic

SYNONYMS FOR pathetic

1 plaintive.
2 touching, tender.
3 emotional.

OTHER WORDS FROM pathetic

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH pathetic

bathetic pathetic

Words nearby pathetic

pathbreaker, pathbreaking, pathergasia, pathergy, pathet lao, pathetic, pathetic fallacy, pathfinder, pathfinder prospectus, pathfinder, the, pathic
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for pathetical

British Dictionary definitions for pathetical

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, adverb

Word Origin for pathetic

C16: from French pathétique, via Late Latin from Greek pathetikos sensitive, from pathos suffering; see pathos
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012