/ pəˈθetɪk; NAmE / adjective
1.
making you feel pity or sadness
SYN pitiful :
a pathetic and lonely old man
The starving children were a pathetic sight.
2.
( informal , disapproving ) weak and not successful
SYN feeble :
a pathetic excuse
She made a pathetic attempt to smile.
You're pathetic!
► path·et·ic·al·ly / -kli; NAmE / adverb :
He cried pathetically.
a pathetically shy woman
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WORD ORIGIN
late 16th cent. (in the sense affecting the emotions ): via late Latin from Greek pathētikos sensitive, based on pathos suffering.