definitions

pathos

[ pey-thos, -thohs, -thaws ]
/ ˈpeɪ θɒs, -θoʊs, -θɔs /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pathos ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the quality or power in an actual life experience or in literature, music, speech, or other forms of expression, of evoking a feeling of pity, or of sympathetic and kindly sorrow or compassion.
pity.
Obsolete. suffering.

RELATED CONTENT

The Saddest Literary Deaths We’re Still Crying AboutLet's grab a tissue together and consider why the following deaths of some of our favorite fictional characters can still bring us to tears.
READ MORE
The Saddest Literary Deaths We’re Still Crying AboutLet's grab a tissue together and consider why the following deaths of some of our favorite fictional characters can still bring us to tears.
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

emotion, passion, poignancy, desolation, feeling, sentiment

Nearby words

pathologize, pathology, pathomimesis, pathomorphism, pathophysiology, pathos, pathosis, pathway, patiala, patience, patient

Origin of pathos

1570–80; < Greek páthos suffering, sensation, akin to páschein to suffer

Can be confused

bathos pathos
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for pathos

British Dictionary definitions for pathos

pathos

/ (ˈpeɪθɒs) /

noun

the quality or power, esp in literature or speech, of arousing feelings of pity, sorrow, etc
a feeling of sympathy or pitya stab of pathos

Word Origin for pathos

C17: from Greek: suffering; related to penthos sorrow
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