pathetically
Americanadverb
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In opposition to the efficient-market hypothesis, which holds that stock prices reflect all available information, Haugen argued that “the pathetically inefficient market doesn’t seem to have a clue as to what is going on.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 6, 2026
This applies at the other end of the demographic scale as well: Americans have a pathetically low life expectancy for a developed country.
From Salon ● Apr. 5, 2025
O’Brien argued that the nation’s labor laws were pathetically weak.
From Slate ● Jul. 16, 2024
The movie supplies zingers on a scene-by-scene basis, but Arkin nails his moments indelibly: No one will complain about not wanting to go to lunch quite as pathetically.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2023
It was so pathetically easy to forget about Chuck, to talk about prom even though I didn’t give a shit about prom.
From "Paper Towns" by John Green
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
