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pathetic

Pronunciation: /pəˈθɛtɪk/

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Definition of pathetic

adjective

  • 1arousing pity, especially through vulnerability or sadness:she looked so pathetic that I bent down to comfort her
  • 2 informal miserably inadequate:he’s a pathetic excuse for a man
  • 3 archaic relating to the emotions.

Derivatives

pathetically

adverb

Origin:

late 16th century (in the sense 'affecting the emotions'): via late Latin from Greek pathētikos 'sensitive', based on pathos 'suffering'

pathetic in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of pathetic in the US English dictionary

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