pathos

American  

[pey-thos, -thohs, -thaws] / ˈpeɪ θɒs, -θoʊs, -θɔs /

noun

1. 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.

2. pity.

3. Obsolete. suffering.

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pathos British  

/ ˈpeɪθɒs /

noun

1. the quality or power, esp in literature or speech, of arousing feelings of pity, sorrow, etc

2. a feeling of sympathy or pity

   a stab of pathos

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Etymology

Origin of pathos

First recorded in 1570–80; from Greek páthos “suffering, sensation, experience,” akin to páschein “to suffer, feel, be affected”; pathetic ( def. )

Compare meaning

How does pathos compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• pathos vs. ethos

Example Sentences

A subtle pathos, along with the playwright’s verbal sophistication, prevents the play from degenerating into a collegiate vaudeville.”

From Los Angeles Times

From its first season to its last, “Friends” has celebrated Thanksgiving with the hijinks, hilarity and occasional pathos it deserves.

From Los Angeles Times

Jason Robert Brown composes a stirringly lush, operatic score of intense marches and plaintive ballads for this horrific story, which is packed with pathos but not much drama.

From Washington Post

But don’t be daunted by the format; Hallett, author of “The Appeal,” is a deft storyteller, and her latest combines humor and pathos.

From Washington Post

But the main reason “Party Down” transcends the creaky machinery typical of revivals is that it always simultaneously performed and skewered the thirsty pathos and weird contrivances that accompany engineered fun.

From Washington Post

Related Words

• emotion
• passion
• poignancy