Meaning & use
pathetic
Arousing pity or sadness through weakness or inadequacy, or, informally, contemptibly poor in quality.
See it in a sentence
The stray dog's pathetic whimpering made everyone in the shelter want to help it.
His excuse for missing the deadline was pathetic and clearly untrue.
A note on using this word
Pathetic can be genuinely sympathetic, describing something sad and vulnerable, or sharply critical, calling something disappointingly weak; tone determines the meaning.
Words with a similar meaning
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Words with an opposite meaning
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