Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Pathetic
Pa-thet′ic
(pȧ-thĕt′ĭk)
, Adj.
1.
Expressing or showing anger; passionate.
[Obs.]
2.
Affecting or moving the tender emotions, esp. pity or grief; full of pathos;
“Pathetic action.” as, a
. pathetic
song or storyMacaulay.
No theory of the passions can teach a man to be
pathetic
. E. Porter.
Pathetic muscle
(Anat.)
, the superior oblique muscle of the eye.
– Pathetic nerve
(Anat.)
, the fourth cranial, or trochlear, nerve, which supplies the superior oblique, or pathetic, muscle of the eye.
– The pathetic
, a style or manner adapted to arouse the tender emotions.
Webster 1828 Edition
Pathetic
PATHET'IC
Definition 2025
pathetic
pathetic
English
Alternative forms
- pathetick (archaic)
- patheticke (obsolete)
- pathetique (obsolete)
Adjective
pathetic (comparative more pathetic, superlative most pathetic)
- Arousing pity, sympathy, or compassion.
- The child’s pathetic pleas for forgiveness stirred the young man’s heart.
- Arousing scornful pity or contempt, often due to miserable inadequacy.
- You can't even run two miles? That’s pathetic.
- You're almost 26 years old and you still can't hold a real job? That's pathetic.
- 2005, In Her Shoes:
- Well you'd better think of something because middle-aged tramps aren't cute, they're pathetic.
- (obsolete) Expressing or showing anger; passionate.
Synonyms
- (arousing pity): pitiful, wretched, miserable, deplorable, pathetisad
- (arousing scorn): disgraceful, shameful, despicable, dishonorable
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
arousing pity, sympathy, or compassion
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arousing scorn or contempt
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