bathos

[ bey-thos, -thaws, -thohs ]
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noun
  1. a ludicrous descent from the exalted or lofty to the commonplace; anticlimax.

  2. insincere pathos; sentimentality; mawkishness.

  1. triteness or triviality in style.

Origin of bathos

1
1630–40; <Greek: depth

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British Dictionary definitions for bathos

bathos

/ (ˈbeɪθɒs) /


noun
  1. a sudden ludicrous descent from exalted to ordinary matters or style in speech or writing

  2. insincere or excessive pathos

  1. triteness; flatness

  2. the lowest point; nadir

Origin of bathos

1
C18: from Greek: depth, from bathus deep

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012