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

Bathos hovers throughout, not least when what looks like a thurible is reverently lowered from the roof – and turns out to be a lampshade.

From The Guardian • Oct. 13, 2012

As evidenced by the stampede of undistinguished candidates for mayor, San Francisco is in danger of becoming Bathos by the Bay.

From Time Magazine Archive

Hervey had already been attacked in the Dunciad and the Bathos, and he now retaliated.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 4 "Hero" to "Hindu Chronology" by Various

Pope has put it into his Treatise on the Bathos.'

From Some Private Views by Payn, James

Pope put his initials, A. H., under the head of "Flying Fishes," in the Bathos, as authors who now and then rise upon their fins and fly, but soon drop again to the profound.

From Alexander Pope English Men of Letters Series by Stephen, Leslie, Sir