Pathetic — Pa*thet ic, a. [L. patheticus, Gr. ?, fr. ?, ?, to suffer: cf. F. path[ e]tique. See {Pathos}.] 1. Expressing or showing anger; passionate. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] 2. Affecting or moving the tender emotions, esp. pity or grief; full of pathos; as,… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
pathetic — [pə thet′ik] adj. [LL patheticus < Gr pathētikos, akin to pathos, suffering, PATHOS] 1. expressing, arousing, or intended to arouse pity, sorrow, sympathy, or compassion; pitiful 2. pitifully unsuccessful, ineffective, etc. [a pathetic… … English World dictionary
pathetic — in its modern informal meaning ‘inadequate, feeble’, has compromised the primary (and by no means derogatory) meaning ‘arousing pity or sadness’ to the extent that a statement such as The play opens with a pathetic speech is likely to be… … Modern English usage
pathetic — index deplorable, disconsolate, lamentable, paltry Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
pathetic — poignant, affecting, *moving, touching, impressive Analogous words: *pitiful, piteous, pitiable: plaintive, *melancholy, doleful Antonyms: comical … New Dictionary of Synonyms
pathetic — [adj] sad, affecting commiserable, deplorable, distressing, feeble, heartbreaking, heartrending*, inadequate, lamentable, meager, melting, miserable, moving, paltry, petty, piteous, pitiable, pitiful, plaintive, poignant, poor, puny, rueful,… … New thesaurus
pathetic — ► ADJECTIVE 1) arousing pity. 2) informal miserably inadequate. 3) archaic relating to the emotions. DERIVATIVES pathetically adverb. ORIGIN Greek path tikos sensitive , from pathos suffering … English terms dictionary
-pathetic — or pathic adj combining form • • • Main Entry: ↑ path … Useful english dictionary
pathetic — 01. My tennis serve is [pathetic]; I really have to work on it. 02. The baby was sick for the first few days after it was born, and was [pathetically] small and weak. 03. The little dog looked [pathetic] waiting outside in the pouring rain. 04.… … Grammatical examples in English
pathetic — [[t]pəθe̱tɪk[/t]] 1) ADJ GRADED If you describe a person or animal as pathetic, you mean that they are sad and weak or helpless, and they make you feel very sorry for them. ...a pathetic little dog with a curly tail... The small group of… … English dictionary
