patético
/paˈtetiko/
The Spanish word for pathetic is patético.
patético is used to describe something that arouses scorn or contempt.
Meaning: arousing scorn or contempt (adj)
Which one should you use?
English speakers often use 'pathetic' to mean something that is heartbreakingly sad, expressing a neutral or even sympathetic sentiment. In Spanish, however, patético is almost exclusively used in a derogatory sense to mean 'contemptible' or 'lame'. If you want to describe something that is moving or touches the heart, use conmovedor or movedor instead.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies. The masculine singular form is patético, and the feminine singular form is patética. For plural nouns, use the masculine plural patéticos or the feminine plural patéticas.
How do you pronounce it?
/paˈtetiko/
Did you know?
- While patético is an insult today, its root páthos originally described the deep emotion and suffering used in Greek tragedies to evoke pity in an audience.
- To describe a 'pathetic' excuse in Spanish, speakers often use pobre meaning 'poor' as in una pobre excusa, rather than patético.
- The root of patético connects it to the English word 'empathy', as both derive from the concept of feeling or suffering.
Examples in context
- Mi francés es patético.My French is pathetic.This sentence shows how to use patético to describe a skill.Tatoeba #5755819 by arh, translation #2685815 by Joseph
- Luces patético en esa ropa.You look pathetic in that outfit.This sentence shows how to use patético to describe a person's appearance.Tatoeba #1153872 by marcelostockle, translation #1153873 by marcelostockle
- ¡¡No quiero ser patético, quiero ser guay!!I don't want to be pathetic, I want to be cool!!This sentence shows how to use patético to describe a state of being.Tatoeba #2542 by Shishir, translation #7932393 by Seael
- La actuación del político fue patéticaThe politician's performance was pathetic
- Fue un espectáculo lamentableIt was a pathetic spectacle
- Su intento de baile fue penosoHis dance attempt was pathetic
- Sus excusas siempre me dan lástimaHis excuses always strike me as pathetic
- La situación era tan patética que no pude evitar reírme.The situation was so pathetic that I couldn't help but laugh.
- Su actuación fue lamentable y recibió críticas de todos lados.Her performance was pathetic, and she received criticism from all sides.
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are watching a terrible movie.
- DanielEl guion de esta película es patético.The script of this movie is pathetic.
- ElenaSí, es realmente muy patético.Yes, it is really very pathetic.
- DanielNo puedo creer que la veamos.I can't believe we are watching it.
- ElenaSolo por diversión, Daniel.Just for fun, Daniel.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pathetic” translations and entries patético, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries patético, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
