Synonyms 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.

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

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

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

1. pathetic

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

   Antonyms:
   ludicrous, unimpassioned, farcical, unaffecting

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms: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"

   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

   Antonyms:
   dignified, fortunate, estimable

2. pathetic, pitiable, pitifuladjective

   inspiring mixed contempt and pity

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

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

   Antonyms:
   fortunate, dignified, estimable

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

   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

   Antonyms:
   dignified, fortunate, estimable

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. patheticadjective

   Synonyms:
   affecting, touching, moving, melting, tender, plaintive

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

1. patheticadjective

   Synonyms:
   plaintive, pitiable, piteous, mournful, sad

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:4.0 / 1 vote

1. List of paraphrases for "pathetic":

   pitiful, pitiable, lame, miserable, ridiculous, derisory, regrettable, wretched, half-assed, lamentable, deplorable, lousy

How to pronounce pathetic?

How to say pathetic in sign language?

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

1. 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Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use pathetic in a sentence?

1. President Trump:

   Mayor Wheeler. And heshe made a fool out of himself, he wanted to be among the people, so he went into the crowd, and they knocked the hell out of him. That was the end of him. So it was pretty, uh, pretty pathetic.

2. 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..

3. Sophia Laurent Abraham:

   It's really just a pathetic statement after someone has gone to therapy publicly for sex shaming, working through my own depression, bereavement, and vulnerabilities at that time, i don't even say the words she says.

4. Meghan McCain:

   Meghan McCain was Meghan McCain kryptonite in life, Meghan McCain was Meghan McCain kryptonite in death. On a personal level, I agree with you, all of us have love and families, and when Meghan McCain was alive, up until adulthood, we would spend our time together cooking, hiking, fishing, really celebrating life, and I think it's because Meghan McCain almost died, and I just thought,' your life is spent on the weekend not with your family, not with your friends, but you're obsessing, obsessing over great men you could never live up to.' That tells you everything you need to know about his pathetic life right now.

5. Donald Trump:

   And then he apologized like a little baby, like a disgusting, little weak, pathetic baby and that's the problem with Black Lives Matters protesters country.