Both Uses of
pathetic
in
Anne Frank, the Diary of a Young Girl
- This Mr. Dreher has already been a great nuisance to Father, and I've always admired the saintly patience with which he handled this pathetic old man on the phone.
Chpt 42-09 (definition 1) *pathetic = pitiful (arousing pity)
- We listened on the radio, and it was pathetic.
Chpt 43-03 (definition 2) *pathetic = embarrassingly bad
Definitions:
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(1) (pathetic as in: Her pathetic look saddened us.) pitiful (arousing pity)
-
(2) (pathetic as in: a pathetic attempt to insult me) very bad -- possibly so bad it is laughable (possibly mixed with some feeling of pity)