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

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How to use pathetic in a sentence?

1. President Trump:

   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. Gerald Graham:

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

3. Taylor Budowich:

   It seems like perpetual-failed-candidate Hillary Clinton’s basket of deplorables has run stale, not unlike herself, it’s pathetic, it’s divisive, and it is further cementing her legacy of cringe.

4. Pete Buttigieg:

   I don't know if Donald Trump felt it necessary to pull out a sharpie and change the map, I don't know if one of his aides felt they had to do that to protect Donald Trump ego. No matter how you cut it, this is an unbelievably sad state of affairs for our country, look, when the presidency has been reduced to this, all of us are diminished because the presidency is supposed to be something we all look up to, even if we disagree with the President... what we're seeing there is literally pathetic.

5. Ryan Williams:

   He's put together, for lack of a better word, a pretty pathetic political operation.