Antonyms for pathetic
pəˈθɛt ɪkpa·thet·ic

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. patheticadjective

   Arousing pity, sympathy, or compassion.

   The old man’s pathetic pleas for forgiveness stirred the young man’s heart.

   Synonyms:
   wretched, pitiful, miserable

2. patheticadjective

   Arousing scornful pity or contempt, often due to miserable inadequacy.

   Synonyms:
   disgraceful, dishonorable, despicable, shameful

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. pathetic

   Pitiful originally signified full of pity; as, "the Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy," James v, 11; but this usage is now archaic, and the meaning in question is appropriated by such words as merciful and compassionate. Pitiful and pitiable now refer to what may be deserving of pity, pitiful being used chiefly for that which is merely an object of thought, pitiable for that which is brought directly before the senses; as, a pitiful story; a pitiable object; a pitiable condition. Since pity, however, always implies weakness or inferiority in that which is pitied, pitiful and pitiable are often used, by an easy transition, for what might awaken pity, but does awaken contempt; as, a pitiful excuse; he presented a pitiable appearance. Piteous is now rarely used in its earlier sense of feeling pity, but in its derived sense applies to what really excites the emotion; as, a piteous cry. Compare HUMANE; MERCY; PITY.

   Antonyms:
   august, beneficent, commanding, dignified, exalted, glorious, grand, great, helpful, lofty, mighty, noble, sublime, superb, superior

   Synonyms:
   abject, base, contemptible, despicable, lamentable, miserable, mournful, moving, paltry, piteous, pitiable, pitiful, sorrowful, touching, woful, wretched

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:3.3 / 3 votes

1. pathetic

   Antonyms:
   ludicrous, unimpassioned, farcical, unaffecting

   Synonyms:
   affecting, moving, emotional, tender, melting, tender

Princeton's WordNetRate these antonyms:3.0 / 2 votes

1. hapless, miserable, misfortunate, pathetic, piteous, pitiable, pitiful, poor, wretchedadjective

   deserving or inciting pity

   "a hapless victim"; "miserable victims of war"; "the shabby room struck her as extraordinarily pathetic"- Galsworthy; "piteous appeals for help"; "pitiable homeless children"; "a pitiful fate"; "Oh, you poor thing"; "his poor distorted limbs"; "a wretched life"

   Antonyms:
   dignified, fortunate, estimable

   Synonyms:
   ridiculous, paltry, deplorable, scummy, woeful, slimy, execrable, suffering, scurvy, vile, low-down, despicable, inadequate, low, miserable, worthless, sad, piteous, hapless, lamentable, misfortunate, pitiable, distressing, measly, poor, short, wretched, silly, sorry, pitiful, abject, unworthy, ugly

2. pathetic, pitiable, pitifuladjective

   inspiring mixed contempt and pity

   "their efforts were pathetic"; "pitiable lack of character"; "pitiful exhibition of cowardice"

   Antonyms:
   fortunate, dignified, estimable

   Synonyms:
   distressing, poor, lamentable, deplorable, sorry, misfortunate, silly, pitiable, ridiculous, sad, miserable, piteous, pitiful, wretched, hapless

3. pathetic, ridiculous, sillyadjective

   inspiring scornful pity

   "how silly an ardent and unsuccessful wooer can be especially if he is getting on in years"- Dashiell Hammett

   Antonyms:
   dignified, fortunate, estimable

   Synonyms:
   slaphappy, light-headed, nonsensical, hapless, ludicrous, giddy, poor, farcical, featherbrained, sappy, miserable, lightheaded, absurd, dizzy, laughable, airheaded, ridiculous, wacky, piteous, punch-drunk, cockeyed, misfortunate, pitiable, derisory, zany, silly, preposterous, goofy, wretched, empty-headed, pitiful, cockamamy, cockamamie, idiotic, whacky

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. patheticadjective

   Synonyms:
   plaintive, pitiable, piteous, mournful, sad

How to use pathetic in a sentence?

1. Donald Trump:

   I am not surprised the dishonest, irrelevant and totally failing Club for Growth has resorted to attacking the definitive front runner, especially after I refused to contribute to their pathetic group. We will be releasing my current tax proposal, which is a major decrease in taxes, in the next week and will continue to expose the two faced hypocrisy of the Club for Growth and the problems groups like this perpetuate within a broken Washington, D.C..

2. Leslie Walker:

   It's pretty pathetic. I have clients( in Souza prison) who are heroin addicts who are trying to get clean.

3. The President:

   He's waved the white flag on life. He doesn't leave his basement, he's a pathetic candidate.

4. Saki:

   Hors d'oeuvres have always a pathetic interest for me; they remind me of one's childhood that one goes through wondering what the next course is going to be like -- and during the rest of the menu one wishes one had eaten more of the hors d'oeuvres.

5. Gerald Graham:

   The government's response has been really pathetic. They were not there. Why did they take so long to act.

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