pathetic
Use Pathetic in a sentence
ɪk adjective
1.
causing or evoking pity, sympathetic sadness, sorrow, etc.; pitiful; pitiable: a pathetic letter; a pathetic sight.
2.
affecting or moving the feelings.
3.
pertaining to or caused by the feelings.
4.
miserably or contemptibly inadequate: In return for our investment we get a pathetic three percent interest.
Also, pa·thet·i·cal.
Origin:
1590–1600; < Late Latin pathēticus < Greek pathētikós sensitive equivalent to pathēt(ós) made or liable to suffer (verbid of páschein to suffer + -ikos -ic
1590–1600; < Late Latin pathēticus < Greek pathētikós sensitive equivalent to pathēt(ós) made or liable to suffer (verbid of páschein to suffer + -ikos -ic
Related forms
pa·thet·i·cal·ly, adverb
pa·thet·i·cal·ness, noun
hy·per·pa·thet·ic, adjective
hy·per·pa·thet·i·cal, adjective
hy·per·pa·thet·i·cal·ly, adverb
qua·si-pa·thet·ic, adjective
qua·si-pa·thet·i·cal·ly, adverb
un·pa·thet·ic, adjective
un·pa·thet·i·cal·ly, adverb
Synonyms
1. plaintive. 2. touching, tender. 3. emotional.
1. plaintive. 2. touching, tender. 3. emotional.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To pathetic
00:10
Pathetic
is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
pathetic (pəˈθɛtɪk) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | evoking or expressing pity, sympathy, etc |
| 2. | distressingly inadequate: the old man sat huddled in front of a pathetic fire |
| 3. | informal (Brit) ludicrously or contemptibly uninteresting or worthless: the standard of goalkeeping in amateur football today is pathetic |
| 4. | obsolete of or affecting the feelings |
| —pl n | |
| 5. | pathetic sentiments |
| [C16: from French pathétique, via Late Latin from Greek pathetikos sensitive, from pathos suffering; see | |
| pa'thetically | |
| —adv | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
pathetic
1598, "affecting the emotions, exciting the passions," from M.Fr. pathétique "moving, stirring, affecting" (16c.), from L.L. patheticus, from Gk. pathetikos "sensitive, capable of emotion," from pathetos "liable to suffer," verbal adj. of pathein "to suffer" (see
pathos). Meaning "arousing pity, pitiful" is first recorded 1737. Colloquial sense of "so miserable as to be ridiculous" is attested from 1937. Pathetic fallacy (1856, first used by Ruskin) is the attribution of human qualities to inanimate objects.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary
sorry definitionand pathetic
|
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Example sentences
They are healthier than the man in this pathetic cartoon: He is seated at a dining table, alone.
It is understandable but pathetic to seal one's records as a campaign strategy.
But there will come the day when the pathetic patch of dust will no longer yield.
How pathetic and how little difference it will make.
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