pathetic
adjective
pa·thet·ic
pə-ˈthe-tik 
1
: having a capacity to move one to either compassionate or contemptuous pity
2
: marked by sorrow or melancholy : sad
3
: pitifully inferior or inadequate
the restaurant's pathetic service
Examples of pathetic in a Sentence
The spectacle seen in the theater of the news presented the American President as a failed suppliant instead of a conquering hero—an ailing and pathetic figure dismissed with the smile of pity and the gift of some sweet candies shaped as miniature sculptures of the President's two dogs.
—
Lewis H. Lapham, Harper's, March 1992
They were brave, and bravely she served them a pathetic meal of nothing but limitless bowls of little potatoes boiled in their jackets …
—M. F. K. Fisher, With Bold Knife and Fork, 1969
Her face looked pale and extinguished, as if dimmed by the rich red of her dress. She struck Archer, of a sudden, as a pathetic and even pitiful figure.
—Edith Wharton, The Age of Innocence, 1920
The blind, old dog was a pathetic sight.
The team was pretty bad last year, but this year they're downright pathetic.
The story he told was a pathetic attempt to cover up a lie.
His car is a pathetic piece of junk.
Lewis H. Lapham, Harper's, March 1992
They were brave, and bravely she served them a pathetic meal of nothing but limitless bowls of little potatoes boiled in their jackets …
—M. F. K. Fisher, With Bold Knife and Fork, 1969
Her face looked pale and extinguished, as if dimmed by the rich red of her dress. She struck Archer, of a sudden, as a pathetic and even pitiful figure.
—Edith Wharton, The Age of Innocence, 1920
The blind, old dog was a pathetic sight.
The team was pretty bad last year, but this year they're downright pathetic.
The story he told was a pathetic attempt to cover up a lie.
His car is a pathetic piece of junk.
Recent Examples on the Web
So why did a chess engine that came under the pathetic category and only looks one move ahead not just defeat but humiliate ChatGPT?
—David Szondy
june 15, New Atlas, 15 June 2025
Not because ownership has had a change of heart, but rather as a way to address their pathetic offense.
—Mac Engel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 June 2025
Stepping out of his lane as an entertainer, Springsteen appealed to anti-American interests (video clips captured a pathetic smattering of applause from the Brit audience, which is undergoing its own social crises), in the form of perverse Americana.
—Armond White, National Review, 28 May 2025
Hamm’s blindness and paralysis serve as metaphors for his character traits, and both are occasionally played for comedic effect, albeit a pathetic sort of comedy.
—Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for pathetic
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David Szondy
june 15, New Atlas, 15 June 2025
Not because ownership has had a change of heart, but rather as a way to address their pathetic offense.
—Mac Engel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 June 2025
Stepping out of his lane as an entertainer, Springsteen appealed to anti-American interests (video clips captured a pathetic smattering of applause from the Brit audience, which is undergoing its own social crises), in the form of perverse Americana.
—Armond White, National Review, 28 May 2025
Hamm’s blindness and paralysis serve as metaphors for his character traits, and both are occasionally played for comedic effect, albeit a pathetic sort of comedy.
—Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for pathetic
Cite this Entry
“Pathetic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pathetic. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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