Generally, Pathetic fallacy is confused with personification. The fact is that they differ in their function. Pathetic fallacy is a kind of personification that gives human emotions to inanimate objects of nature for example referring to weather features reflecting a mood. Personification, on the other hand, is a broader term.
https://literarydevices.net/pathetic-fallacy/
When the device was named in the 19th century, the term 'pathetic' referred to feelings (pathos), so pathetic fallacy actually means 'fake emotions.'. An author may use pathetic fallacy to represent characters' emotions or the actions in a scene.
http://study.com/academy/lesson/pathetic-fallacy-in-literature-definition-examples-quiz.html
Definition of pathetic. 1 : having a capacity to move one to either compassionate or contemptuous pity. 2 : marked by sorrow or melancholy : sad. 3 : pitifully inferior or inadequate the restaurant's pathetic service.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pathetic
Synonyms: pathetic, pitiful, pitiable, piteous, lamentable. These adjectives describe what inspires or deserves pity. Something pathetic elicits sympathetic sadness and compassion: a most earnest ... entreaty, addressed to you in the most pathetic tones of the voice so dear to you (Charles Dickens).
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/pathetic
1. evoking or expressing pity, sympathy, etc. 2. distressingly inadequate: the old man sat huddled in front of a pathetic fire. 3. informal Brit ludicrously or contemptibly uninteresting or worthless: the standard of goalkeeping in amateur football today is pathetic. 4. obsolete of or affecting the feelings.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/pathetic
Definition of pathetic. 1  1 : having a capacity to move one to either compassionate or contemptuous pity. 2  2 : marked by sorrow or melancholy : sad. 3  3 : pitifully inferior or inadequate the restaurant's pathetic service.  4 : absurd, laughable a pathetic costume.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pathetic
Examples of pathetic in a sentence. 1  The spectacle seen in the theater of the news presented the American President as a failed suppliant instead of a conquering hero—an ailing and pathetic figure dismissed with the smile of pity and the gift of some sweet candies shaped as miniature sculptures of the President's two dogs.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pathetic
Pathetic Fallacy Definition. Pathetic fallacy is a literary device wherein the author attributes human emotions and traits to nature or inanimate objects. For example, the following descriptions refer to weather and how it affects the mood, which can add atmosphere to a story: smiling skies, somber clouds, angry storm, or bitter winter.
http://study.com/academy/lesson/pathetic-fallacy-in-literature-definition-examples-quiz.html
Video: Pathetic Fallacy in Literature: Definition & Examples. In this lesson, we will define the literary device pathetic fallacy, explain why an author may choose to use it, and then examine examples from several literary works.
http://study.com/academy/lesson/pathetic-fallacy-in-literature-definition-examples-quiz.html
Pathetic Fallacy Definition. Pathetic fallacy is a literary device that attributes human qualities and emotions to inanimate objects of nature. The word “pathetic” in the term is not used in the derogatory sense of being miserable; rather, here, it stands for “imparting emotions to something else”.
https://literarydevices.net/pathetic-fallacy/
what's the definition of pathetic?
Pathetic means having a capacity to move one to either compassionate or contemptuous pity.