“The battery life is pretty pathetic.”
You bought a smartphone recently. You're unsatisfied with it because it loses battery power too quickly. Someone asks what you think of the phone, so you complain about this.
The battery life is pretty pathetic.
Want Video and Sound? Follow us on YouTube
(a electronic device's) battery life
The "battery life" of a mobile phone, tablet computer, laptop, or other device means how long you can use it before you have to recharge the battery.
"Battery life" is one of the important characteristic that customers think about when buying an electronic device, so it's discussed in device reviews and advertisements.
(something) is pathetic
The word "pathetic" means "not good at all".
Here are a couple of examples of situations in which you can call something "pathetic":
- You were dating a guy, but he cheated on you. Now he's trying to get back together with you by sending messages to a lot of your friends. You don't like him at all, so you call him "pathetic" to your friends.
- You competed in a 10K race. On the day of the competition, you ran a lot slower than you normally do. You're angry at yourself, so you say that your performance in the race was "pathetic".
In general, calling someone else "pathetic" means that you're disgusted by them. Calling yourself "pathetic" means that you're disappointed in yourself.
Calling a product "pathetic" means that it's much worse than it should be.