pathos

Fetched 2026-10-26 (cache).

Synonyms: bathos, hathos, athos, patho, paphos, pathros, nathos, pathes, paths, patmos, patho-

Antonyms: bathos, hathos, athos, patho, paphos, pathros, nathos, pathes, paths, patmos, patho-

Related words from Datamuse; suggestions, not definitions.

Noun

1. The quality or property of anything which touches the [[feeling]]s or excites [[emotion]]s and [[passion]]s, especially that which awakens tender emotions, such as [[pity]], [[sorrow]], and the like; contagious warmth of feeling, action, or expression; pathetic quality.
2. {{lb|en|rhetoric}} A form of [[rhetoric]] in which the writer or speaker uses emotional appeals to the audience as the main form of persuasion.
3. {{lb|en|literature}} An author's attempt to evoke a feeling of pity or sympathetic sorrow for a character.
4. {{lb|en|theology|philosophy}} In theology and [[existentialist]] [[ethics]] following {{w|Kierkegaard}} and {{w|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.
5. [[suffering|Suffering]]; the [[endure|enduring]] of active [[stress]] or [[affliction]].

Source: Wiktionary · CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wiktionary dump) · cached copy, not a rewrite.