Pathetic
Pathetic adjective - Deserving of one's pity.
Usage example: the plight of the homeless family was quite pathetic
Touching is a synonym for pathetic in sad topic. In some cases you can use "Touching" instead an adjective "Pathetic", when it comes to topics like moving, pitiful, poignant. popular alternative
Nearby Words: pathos, pathetically, pathetics
Mutual synonyms
Related pairs
Both words in one sentence
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They inadvertently bond, with Cassian developing paternal feelings toward the pathetic serial killer, and eventually Cassian dies saving Jizabel in a very touching scene...Jizabel then transplants Cassian's brain into the skull of a recently deceased mutual enemy.
Source: Grand Theft Me - Goliath then delivers an incredibly touching speech urging Demona to amend her ways and live for the moment... only for future-Demona to wake up, tell Goliath she remembers his pathetic words of advice, spit in his face, and fly off into the night.
Source: Ignored Epiphany
Cite this Source
Touching and Pathetic. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/pathetic/touching
Pathetic & Touching. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/pathetic/touching>.
Touching or Pathetic. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/pathetic/touching.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "pathetic" and "touching" have occurred on timeline