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Woeful vs Pathetic - What's the difference?

woeful | pathetic |

As adjectives the difference between woeful and pathetic

is that woeful is full of woe; sorrowful; distressed with grief or calamity while pathetic is arousing pity, sympathy, or compassion.

woeful

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Full of woe; sorrowful; distressed with grief or calamity.
    • How many woeful widows left to bow / To sad disgrace! — Daniel.
  • Bringing calamity, distress, or affliction.
    • a woeful event
    a woeful lack of restraint
  • wretched; paltry; poor
    • What woeful stuff this madrigal would be! — Pope.

    Synonyms

    * See also

    pathetic

    English

    Alternative forms

    * pathetick (archaic) * patheticke (obsolete) * pathetique (obsolete)

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Arousing pity, sympathy, or compassion.
    • The old man’s pathetic pleas for forgiveness stirred the young man’s heart.
  • Arousing scornful pity or contempt, often due to miserable inadequacy.
    • You can't even run two miles? That’s pathetic .
    You're almost 26 years old and you still can't hold a real job? That's pathetic .
  • * {{quote-video, year=2005, title=
    • , passage=Well you'd better think of something because middle-aged tramps aren't cute, they're pathetic .}}
  • (obsolete) Expressing or showing anger; passionate.

    • Synonyms

    * (arousing pity) pitiful, wretched, miserable, deplorable, pathetisad * (arousing scorn) disgraceful, shameful, despicable, dishonorable

    Derived terms

    * patheticism * patheticness

    Related terms

    * pathos

    External links

    * *