Pathos

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /ˈpeɪˌθɒs/

Origin

From Ancient Greek πάθος (pathos, "suffering").

Full definition of pathos

Noun

1. The quality or property of anything which touches the feelings or excites emotions and passions, especially that which awakens tender emotions, such as pity, sorrow, and the like; contagious warmth of feeling, action, or expression; pathetic quality.
• 1874, Thomas Hardy, Far From The Madding Crowd, 1874:His voice had a genuine pathos now, and his large brown hands perceptibly trembled.
2. (rhetoric) A writer's attempt to persuade an audience through appeals involving the use of strong emotions not strictly limited to pity.
3. (literature) An author's attempt to evoke a feeling of pity or sympathetic sorrow for a character.
4. (theology, philosophy) In theology and existentialist ethics following Kierkegaard and Heidegger, a deep and abiding commitment of the heart, as in the notion of "finding your passion" as an important aspect of a fully lived, engaged life.

Related terms

• antipathy
• apathy
• empathy
• pathetic
• patience
• patient
• pathology
• pathogen
• sympathy
• psychopathy

Anagrams

• Pashto, potash