pathetic

pa·thet·ic

 (pə-thĕt′ĭk) also pa·thet·i·cal (-ĭ-kəl)

adj.

1. Arousing or deserving of sympathetic sadness and compassion: "The old, rather shabby room struck her as extraordinarily pathetic" (John Galsworthy).

2. Arousing or deserving of scornful pity.

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[French pathétique, from Late Latin pathēticus, from Greek pathētikos, sensitive, from pathētos, liable to suffer, from pathos, suffering; see k^went(h)- in Indo-European roots.]

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pa·thet′i·cal·ly adv.

Synonyms: pathetic, pitiful, pitiable, piteous, lamentable
These adjectives describe what inspires or deserves pity. Something pathetic elicits sympathetic sadness and compassion: "a most earnest ... entreaty, addressed to you in the most pathetic tones of the voice so dear to you" (Charles Dickens).
Both pitiful and pitiable apply to what is touchingly sad: "She told a most pitiful story" (Samuel Butler)."The emperor had been in a state of pitiable vacillation" (William Hickling Prescott).
Sometimes these three terms connote contemptuous pity, as for what is hopelessly inept or inadequate: a school with pathetic academic standards."To be guided by second-hand conjecture is pitiful" (Jane Austen)."That cold accretion called the world, which, so terrible in the mass, is so unformidable, even pitiable, in its units" (Thomas Hardy).
Piteous applies to what cries out for pity: "They ... made piteous lamentation to us to save them" (Daniel Defoe).
Lamentable suggests the evocation of pity mixed with sorrow: "Tell thou the lamentable tale of me, / And send the hearers weeping to their beds" (Shakespeare).

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

pathetic

(pəˈθɛtɪk)

adj

1. evoking or expressing pity, sympathy, etc

2. distressingly inadequate: the old man sat huddled in front of a pathetic fire.

3. informal Brit ludicrously or contemptibly uninteresting or worthless: the standard of goalkeeping in amateur football today is pathetic.

4. obsolete of or affecting the feelings

pl n

pathetic sentiments. Also (archaic or obsolete): pathetical

[C16: from French pathétique, via Late Latin from Greek pathetikos sensitive, from pathos suffering; see pathos]

paˈthetically adv

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

pa•thet•ic

(pəˈθɛt ɪk)

also pa•thet′i•cal,

adj.

1. causing or evoking pity, either sympathetically or contemptibly; pitiful: a pathetic sight; a pathetic return on our investment.

2. sad; sorrowful; mournful: a pathetic tone of voice.

[1590–1600; < Late Latin pathēticus < Greek pathētikós sensitive =pathēt(ós) made or liable to suffer, v. adj. of páschein to suffer + -ikos -ic]

pa•thet′i•cal•ly, adv.

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

Thesaurus

Adj.	1.	pathetic - 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" misfortunate, piteous, hapless, poor, miserable, pitiable, pitiful, wretched unfortunate - not favored by fortune; marked or accompanied by or resulting in ill fortune; "an unfortunate turn of events"; "an unfortunate decision"; "unfortunate investments"; "an unfortunate night for all concerned"
	2.	pathetic - inspiring mixed contempt and pity; "their efforts were pathetic"; "pitiable lack of character"; "pitiful exhibition of cowardice" pitiable, pitiful contemptible - deserving of contempt or scorn
	3.	pathetic - inspiring scornful pity; "how silly an ardent and unsuccessful wooer can be especially if he is getting on in years"- Dashiell Hammett ridiculous, silly undignified - lacking dignity

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

pathetic

adjective

1. sad, moving, touching, affecting, distressing, tender, melting, poignant, harrowing, heartbreaking, plaintive, heart-rending, gut-wrenching, pitiable It was a pathetic sight, watching the people queue for food.
sad funny, entertaining, amusing, ridiculous, ludicrous, laughable, comical, droll

2. inadequate, useless, feeble, poor, sorry, wet (Brit. informal), pants (informal), miserable, petty, worthless, meagre, pitiful, woeful, deplorable, lamentable, trashy, measly, crummy (slang), crappy (slang), rubbishy, poxy (slang), wanky (taboo slang), chickenshit (U.S. slang) That's the most pathetic excuse I've ever heard.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

pathetic

adjective

Arousing or deserving pity:

piteous, pitiable, pitiful, poor, rueful, ruthful.

The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Translations

ضَعيف وفاشِلمُثير للشَّفَقَهمُثِيرٌ لِلْعُطُوف

žalostnýdojemnýubohý

søllesørgeligynkelig

bemitleidenswertmitleiderregendrührendbemittleidenswerterbärmlich

αξιολύπητος

patéticoinútillastimoso

säälittävä

pathétiquepitoyablelamentable

patetičan

gyenge

átakanlega, ömurlegurátakanlegur

patetico

哀れな

측은한

graudus

aizkustinošsnožēlojams, niecīgs

zielig

patetiskynkverdig

patetyczny

patético

жалкийжалостныйдушераздирающий

ganljiv

patetisk

น่าสงสาร

acıklıacınasıberbatdokunaklıiçler acısı

thảm bại

可怜的无用的

pathetic

[pəˈθetɪk]

A. ADJ

1. (= piteous) [sight] → patético, lastimoso; [smile] → conmovedor
it was pathetic to see him like that → daba verdadera lástima or pena verlo así
a pathetic creature → un pobre infeliz

2. (= useless) [excuse, attempt] → pobre
it was a pathetic performance → fue una actuación penosa or que daba pena
pathetic, isn't it? → da pena ¿no?

B. CPD pathetic fallacy N (Literat) → engaño m sentimental, falacia f patética

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

pathetic

[pəˈθɛtɪk] adj

(= very bad) → lamentable
Our team was pathetic → Notre équipe a été lamentable.

(= feeble) → pitoyable

(= pitiful) → pitoyable

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

pathetic

adj

(= piteous) → mitleiderregend; the exhausted refugees made a pathetic sight → die erschöpften Flüchtlinge boten ein Bild des Jammers; it was pathetic to see → es war ein Bild des Jammers

(= poor) → erbärmlich, jämmerlich; it’s pathetic → es ist zum Weinen or Heulen (inf); what a pathetic bunch they are! → oh, was ist das für ein jämmerlicher Haufen!; honestly you’re pathetic, can’t you even boil an egg? → ehrlich, dich kann man zu nichts brauchen, kannst du nicht einmal ein Ei kochen?

the pathetic fallacy → die Vermenschlichung der Natur

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

pathetic

[pəˈθɛtɪk] adj

a. (pitiful) → patetico/a, toccante

b. (very bad) → penoso/a, pietoso/a

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

pathetic

(pəˈθetik) adjective

1. causing pity. The lost dog was a pathetic sight. jammerlik مُثير للشَّفَقَه трогателен lastimável žalostný, dojemný bemittleidenswert sørgelig αξιολύπητοςlastimoso, patético liigutav رقت انگیز säälittävä pathétique מְעוֹרֵר רַחֲמִים करुणाजनक bijedan szánalmas menyedihkan átakanlegur pietoso 哀れな 불쌍한 graudus aizkustinošs menyedihkan meelijwekkendynkelig; gripende żałosny غيزه ناك، خواشينوونكى، احساسات پاروونكى، غريو راوستونكى خوځوونكى، پاروونكى lastimável vrednic de milă трогательный; жалостный žalostný ganljiv patetičan patetisk, gripande, rörande น่าสงสาร acıklı, dokunaklı 可憐的 зворушливий; жалісний قابل رحم thống thiết 可怜的

2. weak and useless. a pathetic attempt. pateties ضَعيف وفاشِل безполезен triste ubohý kläglich sølle οικτρόςinútil haletsusväärne بی ثمر surkea pitoyableעלוב बेकार jadan gyenge lemah átakanlega, ömurlegur patetico 弱々しい 아주 불충분한 graudus nožēlojams, niecīgs bodoh erbarmelijk ynkverdig, patetisk żałosny بی ګټ triste dis­pe­rat жалкий, безнадёжный úbohý pomilovanja vreden patetičan patetisk, ynklig แร้นแค้น içler acısı, berbat 無用的 жалюгідний بيکار، بے سود thảm bại 无用的

paˈthetically adverb

pateties بِصورَةٍ مُثيرة للعَواطِف والشَّفَقَه трогателно tristemente dojemně rührend sørgeligt θλιμμένα, οικτρά patéticamente, lastimosamente liigutavalt بطور اسف بار säälittävästi pathétiquement בְּאוֹפֶן מְעוֹרֵר רַחֲמִים करुणाजनक रूप से patetičan szánalmasan secara lemah ömurlega pateticamente 痛ましく 불쌍하게 apgailėtinai aizkustinoši dgn cara yg bodoh zieligynkelig; rørende, patetisk wzruszająco په موثر ډول، په اغيزه ناك توګه tristemente disperat; (în mod) pa­te­tic жалостно; жалко dojímavo ganljivo patetično patetiskt อย่างน่าสงสาร acınacak derecede 可憐地 жалюгідно قابل رحم انداز ميں một cách thống thiết 可怜地

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

pathetic

→ مُثِيرٌ لِلْعُطُوف žalostný ynkelig mitleiderregend αξιολύπητος patético säälittävä lamentable patetičan patetico 哀れな 측은한 zielig patetisk patetyczny patético жалкий patetisk น่าสงสาร acınası thảm bại 可怜的

Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

pa·thet·ic

a. patético-a.

English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012