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”; cf. pathetic ( def. )

Compare meaning

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

• pathos vs. ethos

Explanation

Pathos is a quality that stirs emotions. A song with a lot of pathos hits you right in the heart. You ever notice how some songs or movies appeal to your brains, while others appeal to your feelings? The ones that are all about feeling are full of pathos, an appeal to emotions that originally meant "suffering" in Greek. Often, this word has to do specifically with pity and sympathy: when someone tells a story about people suffering that makes you feel for them, that's pathos.

Example Sentences

Berlant describes their shared sensibility, the ability to simultaneously play comedy and pathos, as a kind of freedom.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

And in the crucial scene when Sonny is put on the phone with Leon, whom he calls his wife—Sonny’s motive is to pay for Leon’s sex-reassignment surgery—he strikes moving notes of pathos.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

“Hoppers” features zanier cartoon comedy and less tear-inducing pathos than audiences may expect from the studio behind “Up.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 7, 2026

There’s a certain tone in my voice, a register he didn’t want me to use, a register I often use for pathos or gravitas.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 2026

Richard Nixon’s “Checkers” speech, mentioned above in the section about pathos, contains a nicely clean instance of division.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith

Related Words

• emotion
• passion
• poignancy