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
Enter Claude Whelan, played by James Callis, a fine actor with a face that can contort itself into about a dozen different versions of misery and pathetic dismay.
—Brian Grubb, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2025
Ratcheting up the pressure on the pathetic Putin will be the only way this war ends.
—Chicago Tribune, Twin Cities, 28 Oct. 2025
The Panthers’ defense was largely effective against a pathetic Jets offense, which could barely muster movement at home.
—Charlotte Observer, 19 Oct. 2025
In his brightest moments, Mike is boyishly gentle, a little wacky, and modestly proud — all in ways that Dillane manages to make feel both pathetic and delightful.
—Beatrice Loayza, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pathetic
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Brian Grubb, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2025
Ratcheting up the pressure on the pathetic Putin will be the only way this war ends.
—Chicago Tribune, Twin Cities, 28 Oct. 2025
The Panthers’ defense was largely effective against a pathetic Jets offense, which could barely muster movement at home.
—Charlotte Observer, 19 Oct. 2025
In his brightest moments, Mike is boyishly gentle, a little wacky, and modestly proud — all in ways that Dillane manages to make feel both pathetic and delightful.
—Beatrice Loayza, New York Times, 9 Oct. 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 Nov. 2025.
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