Word
pathos
US/ˈpeɪθɑs/
UK/pˈeɪθɒs/
Definition
n. the quality of something that makes you feel pity, sadness, or deep emotion. It is often used to describe a story or a piece of music that touches your heart.
n. the quality of a literary or artistic work that evokes pity, sorrow, or deep emotional response. Often used to describe the emotional impact of a narrative or performance.
Examples
“The movie has a lot of pathos that makes you cry.”
“The author uses the pathos of the character's lonely childhood to make the reader feel sympathy for his later mistakes.”
“While the play is technically brilliant, its lack of pathos leaves the audience feeling detached from the protagonist's final, tragic decision.”
Examples
simple
“The movie has a lot of pathos that makes you cry.”
contextual
“The author uses the pathos of the character's lonely childhood to make the reader feel sympathy for his later mistakes.”
complex
“While the play is technically brilliant, its lack of pathos leaves the audience feeling detached from the protagonist's final, tragic decision.”
Real-World Examples
“However, the hope expressed in a rainbow is frequently tinged with pathos.” Etymology
From Ancient Greek πάθος (páthos, “suffering”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.