PATHETIC: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for PATHETIC?

Need another word that means the same as “pathetic”? Find 30 synonyms and 30 related words for “pathetic” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Pathetic” are: ridiculous, silly, pitiable, pitiful, hapless, miserable, misfortunate, piteous, poor, wretched, moving, touching, poignant, plaintive, stirring, feeble, woeful, sorry, lamentable, deplorable, contemptible, despicable, inadequate, meagre, paltry, insufficient, negligible, insubstantial, unsatisfactory, worthless

Pathetic as an Adjective

Definitions of "Pathetic" as an adjective

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “pathetic” as an adjective can have the following definitions:

• Relating to the emotions.
• Inspiring scornful pity.
• Miserably inadequate; of very low standard.
• Arousing pity, especially through vulnerability or sadness.
• Inspiring scornful pity- Dashiell Hammett.
• Deserving or inciting pity.
• Inspiring mixed contempt and pity.
• Deserving or inciting pity- Galsworthy.

Synonyms of "Pathetic" as an adjective (30 Words)

contemptible	Deserving contempt; despicable. A display of contemptible cowardice.
deplorable	Of very poor quality or condition. Children living in deplorable conditions.
despicable	Morally reprehensible. A despicable crime.
feeble	Lacking physical strength, especially as a result of age or illness. A feeble voice.
hapless	Deserving or inciting pity- Galsworthy. The hapless victims of the disaster.
inadequate	Of insufficient quantity to meet a need. A sad solitary inadequate man.
insubstantial	Lacking in nutritive value. The huts are relatively few and insubstantial.
insufficient	Not enough; inadequate. Insufficient funds.
lamentable	(of an event, action, or attitude) unfortunate; regrettable. The industry is in a lamentable state.
meagre	Deficient in amount or quality or extent. They were forced to supplement their meagre earnings.
miserable	Pitiably small or inadequate. Their happiness made Anne feel even more miserable.
misfortunate	Especially of a person: unfortunate.
moving	Producing strong emotion, especially sadness or sympathy. She laid her case of destitution before him in a very moving letter.
negligible	Not worth considering. The effect was negligible.
paltry	Contemptibly small in amount. A paltry wage.
piteous	Deserving or inciting pity. A piteous cry.
pitiable	Contemptibly poor or small. Pitiable lack of character.
pitiful	Compassionate. Two children in a very pitiful state.
plaintive	Expressing sorrow. A plaintive cry.
poignant	Arousing affect. Poignant anxiety.
poor	Deserving or inciting pity. Many people are eating a very poor diet.
ridiculous	Deserving or inviting derision or mockery; absurd. That ridiculous tartan cap.
silly	Denoting fielding positions very close to the batsman. He often drank himself silly.
sorry	Bad; unfortunate. I felt sorry for the poor boys working for him.
stirring	Capable of arousing enthusiasm or excitement. Stirring songs.
touching	Arousing feelings of sympathy or gratitude. His gratitude was simple and touching.
unsatisfactory	Not giving satisfaction. Shops should take back unsatisfactory goods.
woeful	Affected by or full of grief or woe. Woeful errors of judgment.
worthless	Lacking in usefulness or value. That promise is worthless.
wretched	(of a person) in a very unhappy or unfortunate state. A wretched life.

Usage Examples of "Pathetic" as an adjective

• The shabby room struck her as extraordinarily pathetic.
• It was a pathetic sight.
• Their efforts were pathetic.
• He's a pathetic excuse for a man.
• She looked so pathetic that I bent down to comfort her.
• His ball control was pathetic.

Associations of "Pathetic" (30 Words)

calamitous	Having extremely unfortunate or dire consequences; bringing ruin. A calamitous defeat.
catastrophic	Relating to geological catastrophism. The body undergoes catastrophic collapse towards the state of a black hole.
defeated	People who are defeated. The defeated enemy.
dejected	Affected or marked by low spirits. Is dejected but trying to look cheerful.
deplorable	Deserving strong condemnation; completely unacceptable. Children living in deplorable conditions.
disastrous	Highly unsuccessful. United made a disastrous start to the season.
hapless	Deserving or inciting pity. A hapless victim.
inauspicious	Not auspicious; boding ill. This is the inauspicious star of disaster.
inferior	An inferior letter figure or symbol. Inferior alveolar artery.
lamentable	(of an event, action, or attitude) unfortunate; regrettable. A lamentable decision.
loser	A contestant who loses the contest. A ragtag community of rejects and losers.
miserable	Deserving or inciting pity. Their happiness made Anne feel even more miserable.
mournful	Feeling, expressing, or inducing sadness, regret, or grief. Her large mournful eyes.
moving	In motion. Her ambition was to be in moving pictures or the movies.
piteous	Deserving or arousing pity. Piteous appeals for help.
pitiable	Deserving or inciting pity- Galsworthy. A pitiable imitation of the real thing.
pitiful	Compassionate. A pitiful attempt to impress her.
pity	A cause for regret or disappointment. It s a pity he couldn t do it.
regrettable	Deserving regret. It s regrettable that she didn t go to college.
ruinous	Disastrous or destructive. The castle is ruinous.
ruth	A feeling of sympathy and sorrow for the misfortunes of others.
sad	Of things that make you feel sad. Better by far that you should forget and smile Than that you should remember and be sad.
sadly	To a regrettable extent; regrettably. His schemes went sadly awry.
sadness	The state of being sad. It is one of life s sadnesses.
sorry	Feeling regret or penitence. He said he was sorry he had upset me.
touching	Arousing affect. His gratitude was simple and touching.
tragic	Causing or characterized by extreme distress or sorrow. A tragic accident.
unfortunate	Not favored by fortune; marked or accompanied by or resulting in ill fortune. An unfortunate turn of events.
unlucky	Marked by or promising bad fortune- W.H.Prescott. An unlucky defeat.
wretched	Used to express anger or annoyance. I felt so wretched because I thought I might never see you again.