bathos

American  

[bey-thos, -thaws, -thohs] / ˈbeɪ θɒs, -θɔs, -θoʊs /

noun

1. a ludicrous descent from the exalted or lofty to the commonplace; anticlimax.

2. insincere pathos; sentimentality; mawkishness.

   Synonyms:

   schmaltz, gush, mush, tearfulness, maudlinness

3. triteness or triviality in style.

   Synonyms:

   inanity, insipidity

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bathos British  

/ ˈbeɪθɒs /

noun

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

2. insincere or excessive pathos

3. triteness; flatness

4. the lowest point; nadir

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Etymology

Origin of bathos

1630–40; < Greek: depth

Explanation

If something starts out serious and then turns trivial, that’s bathos. If you’re watching a serious drama about Poland’s transition to capitalism and it suddenly ends in a giddy car chase, you might remark on the film’s unexpected bathos. The word bathos came into English in the 17th century from the Greek word bathos, which literally means “depth.” In the 18th century English poet Alexander Pope gave the word its current meaning of a descent from lofty to trite. We often use it for movies or books. Bathos is usually unintentional — which means you can laugh at it. Bathos can also be used more broadly for something that’s trite or overly sentimental.

Example Sentences

To give credit where it’s due, few films wear their bathos with such pride.

From Salon • Mar. 19, 2026

Yet even as Winocour piles on too many complications, she retains an appreciable astringency — call it a sense of emotional realism about what it means to actually survive — that keeps bathos at bay.

From New York Times • Jun. 22, 2023

It is what Alexander Pope would call bathos.

From Slate • Jan. 6, 2023

If that doesn’t work, they can always fall back on tear-jerking bathos and sentimental clichés.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 11, 2021

Surely there must be something here for us, other than this futility and bathos.

From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood