1
as in pitiful
deserving of one's pity
the plight of the homeless family was quite pathetic
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sad
causing unhappiness
a pathetic story that made her cry
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in miserable
deserving pitying scorn (as for inadequacy)
the crowd mercilessly booed the boxer's pathetic performance
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in ridiculous
so foolish or pointless as to be worthy of scornful laughter
the pundit's latest book is another pathetic jumble of factual errors, half-baked political views, and baseless accusations
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pathetic
Like everyone else, Ryan only calls him lonely and pathetic.
—
Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 20 May 2026
Just an old, insufferable, pathetic, sad loser.
—Zach Dean Outkick, FOXNews.com, 8 May 2026
The man who has been on fire since the Knicks first tipped off against the Atlanta Hawks shot a ghastly — nay, a pathetic — 53 percent from the field.
—Tony Jones, New York Times, 7 May 2026
But as Notes from Underground progresses, his behavior turns from funny to pathetic to downright despicable.
—Big Think, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pathetic
Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 20 May 2026
Just an old, insufferable, pathetic, sad loser.
—Zach Dean Outkick, FOXNews.com, 8 May 2026
The man who has been on fire since the Knicks first tipped off against the Atlanta Hawks shot a ghastly — nay, a pathetic — 53 percent from the field.
—Tony Jones, New York Times, 7 May 2026
But as Notes from Underground progresses, his behavior turns from funny to pathetic to downright despicable.
—Big Think, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pathetic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pathetic
Adjective
-
Trump has made a pitiful shambles of what should have been a glorious moment.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
31 May 2026
-
With his country flailing in their pitiful attempts to qualify for the 2006 World Cup, at the age of 33, Zidane underwent his change of heart.—
Amy Lawrence,
New York Times,
31 May 2026
Adjective
-
The sad thing for me is that, as a young actor, there was a platform for small independent films that were interesting.—
Rafa Sales Ross,
Variety,
11 June 2026
-
Someone said an ending can be both happy and sad at the same time, which is surely correct.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
The sea was rough, windy, and miserable.—
Robert McGreevy,
FOXNews.com,
6 June 2026
-
The Angels thumped the Colorado Rockies 11-4, but one good night cannot change the trajectory of a miserable season.—
Bill Shaikin,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
Thanks in large part to their four ridiculous last-minute comebacks — one in each playoff round — the Pacers will go down in history as one of the most exciting teams that didn’t win the title.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
7 June 2026
-
At its core, most superhero films, for me, are somewhat ridiculous.—
Matt Minton,
Variety,
6 June 2026
Adjective
-
The second didn’t go nearly as well for Bussi as Karlsson and Howden scored on two of the Golden Knights’ six shots in the period to tie the score at 3-3 heading into the third, the tying goal coming off a Seth Jarvis turnover and a couple of poor defensive plays by Sean Walker and K’Andre Miller.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
-
Heat radiates from the pages of this extraordinary novel about a poor family in rural Mississippi in the days leading up to Hurricane Katrina.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
Adjective
-
Almost a year out to sea is very depressing.—
Steve Walsh,
NPR,
23 May 2026
-
Some sendoffs are mundane; others are downright depressing.—
Michael Silver,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
Adjective
-
The Browns are clearly in rebuild mode, with 2026 expected to be a lame-duck season at quarterback with Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders vying for the starting job for a season before the team uses the 2027 draft to select its latest quarterback of the future.—
Jim Reineking,
USA Today,
2 June 2026
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Initially blocked by recalcitrant Democratic members of the House, the legislation was reintroduced during a lame-duck session following the 2024 election.—
Andrew Cockburn,
Harpers Magazine,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
There is always the possibility that something absurd might occur — the equivalent of Neymar’s 2017 move to Paris Saint-Germain, for instance — but that’s extremely unlikely.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
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Ironically, the fears of two Republicans advancing were driven by Democratic data vendor Paul Mitchell, who built a prediction machine using absurd inputs like betting odds and polls that cannot account for things like rape allegations.—
Matt Fleming,
Oc Register,
27 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pathetic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pathetic. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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