Definition of pathetically in English:
pathetically
adverb pəˈθɛtɪk(ə)lipəˈθɛdɪk(ə)li
1In a way that arouses pity, especially by displaying vulnerability or sadness.
she threw her arms around him and sobbed pathetically
I pathetically pleaded with my guides to stop
Example sentencesExamples
- There is something pathetically sad about people who would seek to honor something so dishonorable.
- She lives a pathetically lonely life with no companionship except her cat.
- He moans pathetically over his marital problems.
- He gives a wonderful portrayal of the tongue-tied, misfit Sam, who is pathetically searching for someone to replace his dead mother.
- While he tore off bits of fish, his family cried pathetically for a bite.
- I sniffed pathetically as an answer.
- I whimpered pathetically, then bit my lip and let the lorry go.
- Do you remember those charity infomercials with smiling white adults holding the hands of pathetically malnourished dark-skinned children?
- She looked crushed, her lips quivering pathetically.
- A pathetically forlorn figure, he set out to destroy all traces of the religion of his ancestors.
2informal In a miserably inadequate or ridiculous way.
he argued rather pathetically for an election boycott
as submodifier a pathetically ill-conceived approach
Example sentencesExamples
- The sound of my knife tapping is pathetically minute.
- He attempted to explain their pathetically lame joke between gasps of laughter.
- It seems to me that the schools were built next to each other as a pathetically tentative step towards integration.
- Their operations are pathetically undercapitalised, undermanned, and haphazard.
- I yank my hand out of his grasp and pathetically punch him in the shoulder.
- Men are pathetically unsubtle, aren't they?
- He was pathetically indecisive and unable to leverage the most important window they had for a counter-attack.
- The fledgling company pathetically traded as low as 50 cents a share.
- He continues his dire warnings of the inordinate amount of pestilence and death poised to descend on our pathetically unprepared continent the second we relax our vigilance.
- The park's administrators dumped its once-impressive wading pool for a sorry bunch of hoses that spray pathetically from time to time.
Definition of pathetically in US English:
pathetically
adverbpəˈθɛdɪk(ə)lipəˈTHedik(ə)lē
1In a way that arouses pity, especially by displaying vulnerability or sadness.
she threw her arms around him and sobbed pathetically
I pathetically pleaded with my guides to stop
Example sentencesExamples
- I sniffed pathetically as an answer.
- He moans pathetically over his marital problems.
- She looked crushed, her lips quivering pathetically.
- Do you remember those charity infomercials with smiling white adults holding the hands of pathetically malnourished dark-skinned children?
- There is something pathetically sad about people who would seek to honor something so dishonorable.
- While he tore off bits of fish, his family cried pathetically for a bite.
- A pathetically forlorn figure, he set out to destroy all traces of the religion of his ancestors.
- She lives a pathetically lonely life with no companionship except her cat.
- He gives a wonderful portrayal of the tongue-tied, misfit Sam, who is pathetically searching for someone to replace his dead mother.
- I whimpered pathetically, then bit my lip and let the lorry go.
2informal In a miserably inadequate or ridiculous way.
he argued rather pathetically for an election boycott
as submodifier a pathetically ill-conceived approach
Example sentencesExamples
- Their operations are pathetically undercapitalised, undermanned, and haphazard.
- The park's administrators dumped its once-impressive wading pool for a sorry bunch of hoses that spray pathetically from time to time.
- I yank my hand out of his grasp and pathetically punch him in the shoulder.
- The sound of my knife tapping is pathetically minute.
- He was pathetically indecisive and unable to leverage the most important window they had for a counter-attack.
- He attempted to explain their pathetically lame joke between gasps of laughter.
- Men are pathetically unsubtle, aren't they?
- He continues his dire warnings of the inordinate amount of pestilence and death poised to descend on our pathetically unprepared continent the second we relax our vigilance.
- The fledgling company pathetically traded as low as 50 cents a share.
- It seems to me that the schools were built next to each other as a pathetically tentative step towards integration.