only 1 use
- Riding along on the back of anyone who'd carry him was the Threadbare Excuse, a small, pathetic figure whose clothes were worn and tattered and who mumbled the same things again and again, in a low but piercing voice: —Well, I've been sick—but the page was torn out—1 missed the bus—but no one cis(' did it—well, I've been sick—but the page was torn out—1 missed the bus—but no one else did it."p. 239.4
There are no more uses of "pathetic" in The Phantom Tollbooth.
Typical Usage
(best examples)