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.

Nearby words

Origin of pathos

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

Can be confusedbathos pathos

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

Examples from the Web for pathos

This movie and the novel are a beautiful blend of pathos and comedy.
Sherman Alexie on His New Film, the Redskins, and Why It's OK to Laugh at His Work|William O’Connor|August 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Braff is striving to convey a poignant blend of pathos and humor here, but his sort of striving is a form of cheating.
Zach Braff’s Irritating Sense of Entitlement|Andrew Romano|July 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Once edgily shocking, the show now feels rich with pathos and poignancy.
Who Will Win the Tony Awards?|Janice Kaplan|June 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Instead, they (and we) all slip back into a cultural habit that has its origins in the Vietnam War: we turn to pity and pathos.
Surviving War Doesn’t Turn All Veterans into Victims, Sometimes it Helps Them Grow|David Morris|May 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Our ambitious activists of all stripes have just about sucked the last drop of pathos out of “raising awareness.”
Rand Paul’s Comments on GOP Voter-ID Laws Mark a Turning Point|James Poulos|May 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was in a very sweet humor,—full of wit and pathos, without being overbearing or oppressive.
Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern, Vol. 15|Various
The pathos in her tones, the sad lines about Ann's sweet mouth, made Fledra grasp her hands in girlish impetuousness.
From the Valley of the Missing|Grace Miller White
I assure you, they failed to grasp the meaning, not to speak of the pathos and divine beauty, of those awful words.
My New Curate|P.A. Sheehan
She exuded at every pore the pathos of her young undirected force.
A Christmas Garland|Max Beerbohm
Of pathos Dante has given examples unsurpassed in literature.
Essays sthetical|George Calvert

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

Word Origin and History for pathos

pathos

"quality that arouses pity or sorrow," 1660s, from Greek pathos "suffering, feeling, emotion, calamity," literally "what befalls one," related to paskhein "to suffer," and penthos "grief, sorrow;" from PIE root *kwent(h)- "to suffer, endure" (cf. Old Irish cessaim "I suffer," Lithuanian kenčiu "to suffer," pakanta "patience").

pathos

noun

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of pathos

Examples from the Web for pathos

pathos

noun

Word Origin for pathos

pathos