pathos

noun

pa·thos ˈpā-ˌthäs How to pronounce pathos (audio)

-ˌthȯs,

-ˌthōs

also ˈpa-

: an element in experience or in artistic representation evoking pity or compassion

: an emotion of sympathetic pity

Did you know?

Pathos Entered English in the 1500s

The Greek word páthos means "experience, misfortune, emotion, condition,” and comes from Greek path-, meaning “experience, undergo, suffer.” In English, pathos usually refers to the element in an experience or in an artistic work that makes us feel compassion, pity, or sympathy. The word is a member of a big family: empathy is the ability to share someone else’s feelings. Pathetic (in its gentlest uses) describes things that move us to pity. Though pathology is not literally "the study of suffering," it is "the study of diseases." Other relatives of pathos include sympathy, apathy, and antipathy.

Example Sentences

There is a pathos to the deflated certainties that left the Washington lawyer Leonard Garment weeping, inconsolable, outside the Senate chamber as the debate was ended.

Garry Wills, New York Times Book Review, 10 Sept. 1989 Many schools at the end of the Depression were poor, but the threadbare nature of Christchurch was almost Dickensian in its pathos.

William Styron, This Quiet Dust and Other Writings, (1953) 1982 The struggle back to solvency was arduous, and the stubborn determination and reserves of strength that it called forth from him in his mid-forties made him all at once a figure of considerable pathos and heroism in my eyes, a cross of a kind between Captain Ahab and Willy Loman.

Philip Roth, Reading Myself and Others, (1961) 1975 Our knowledge of his tragic end adds an element of pathos to the story of his early success.

Recent Examples on the Web His physical magnificence only emphasizes his pathos.

Armond White, National Review, 7 Sep. 2022 At one point, reeling from rejection, Taffeta drowns her sorrow in an apple pie — the sloppiness of the scene being a keen source of its pathos.

Charles Mcnulty, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2022 Indeed its life began long before the events the story is intent upon conveying in all their pathos took place.

Claire-louise Bennett, Harper’s Magazine , 17 Aug. 2022 The humor of the cartoonish smoke and a skull tattoo on his shoulder deflect obvious pathos.

Garth Greenwell, The New Yorker, 15 Feb. 2022 That’s where the series finds both its humor and its pathos.

Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Jan. 2022 Harjo and his writing staff mint delightful comedy and grab-a-tissue pathos out of plots that can be straightforward, absurd, or existential.

Darren Franich, EW.com, 3 Aug. 2022 Perrotta wrings pathos from needs met and passed over, conducting a symphony of unruly yearnings, delusions, and dramatic ironies.

Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 13 June 2022 Aristotle’s pathos pertains to emotion and feeling.

Jacob Warwick, Forbes, 22 Apr. 2022 See More

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Greek páthos "experience, misfortune, emotion, condition," noun derivative of a verbal base path- "experience, undergo, suffer" (present páschō, páschein, aorist épathon), going back to *p^(h)nt^h-, zero ablaut grade of a base seen also in pénthos "grief, sorrow," of uncertain origin

Note: The Greek verb has been compared with Lithuanian kentù, kę͂sti "to undergo, suffer" (assuming that t for d is secondary) and Old Irish césaid "(s/he) suffers, endures" (< *k^wendh-s-?), though this would require Indo-European *k^wendh-, with a normally unacceptable combination of voiceless stop and voiced aspirated stop in a single root. Alternatively, Greek path-, penth- has been explained as an idiosyncratic semantic development of Indo-European *bhendh- "bind" ("be bound" > "suffer"?) (see bind entry 1).

First Known Use

1591, in the meaning defined at sense 1

单词	pathos
释义	pathos noun pa·thos ˈpā-ˌthäs -ˌthȯs, -ˌthōs also ˈpa- 1 : an element in experience or in artistic representation evoking pity or compassion 2 : an emotion of sympathetic pity Did you know? Pathos Entered English in the 1500s The Greek word páthos means "experience, misfortune, emotion, condition,” and comes from Greek path-, meaning “experience, undergo, suffer.” In English, pathos usually refers to the element in an experience or in an artistic work that makes us feel compassion, pity, or sympathy. The word is a member of a big family: empathy is the ability to share someone else’s feelings. Pathetic (in its gentlest uses) describes things that move us to pity. Though pathology is not literally "the study of suffering," it is "the study of diseases." Other relatives of pathos include sympathy, apathy, and antipathy. Example Sentences There is a pathos to the deflated certainties that left the Washington lawyer Leonard Garment weeping, inconsolable, outside the Senate chamber as the debate was ended. Garry Wills, New York Times Book Review, 10 Sept. 1989 Many schools at the end of the Depression were poor, but the threadbare nature of Christchurch was almost Dickensian in its pathos. William Styron, This Quiet Dust and Other Writings, (1953) 1982 The struggle back to solvency was arduous, and the stubborn determination and reserves of strength that it called forth from him in his mid-forties made him all at once a figure of considerable pathos and heroism in my eyes, a cross of a kind between Captain Ahab and Willy Loman. Philip Roth, Reading Myself and Others, (1961) 1975 Our knowledge of his tragic end adds an element of pathos to the story of his early success. Recent Examples on the Web His physical magnificence only emphasizes his pathos. Armond White, National Review, 7 Sep. 2022 At one point, reeling from rejection, Taffeta drowns her sorrow in an apple pie — the sloppiness of the scene being a keen source of its pathos. Charles Mcnulty, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2022 Indeed its life began long before the events the story is intent upon conveying in all their pathos took place. Claire-louise Bennett, Harper’s Magazine , 17 Aug. 2022 The humor of the cartoonish smoke and a skull tattoo on his shoulder deflect obvious pathos. Garth Greenwell, The New Yorker, 15 Feb. 2022 That’s where the series finds both its humor and its pathos. Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Jan. 2022 Harjo and his writing staff mint delightful comedy and grab-a-tissue pathos out of plots that can be straightforward, absurd, or existential. Darren Franich, EW.com, 3 Aug. 2022 Perrotta wrings pathos from needs met and passed over, conducting a symphony of unruly yearnings, delusions, and dramatic ironies. Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 13 June 2022 Aristotle’s pathos pertains to emotion and feeling. Jacob Warwick, Forbes, 22 Apr. 2022 See More Word History Etymology borrowed from Greek páthos "experience, misfortune, emotion, condition," noun derivative of a verbal base path- "experience, undergo, suffer" (present páschō, páschein, aorist épathon), going back to p^(h)nt^h-, zero ablaut grade of a base seen also in pénthos* "grief, sorrow," of uncertain origin Note: The Greek verb has been compared with Lithuanian kentù, kę͂sti "to undergo, suffer" (assuming that t for d is secondary) and Old Irish césaid "(s/he) suffers, endures" (< k^wendh-s-?), though this would require Indo-European k^wendh-, with a normally unacceptable combination of voiceless stop and voiced aspirated stop in a single root. Alternatively, Greek path-, penth- has been explained as an idiosyncratic semantic development of Indo-European bhendh- "bind" ("be bound" > "suffer"?) (see bind entry 1). First Known Use 1591, in the meaning defined at sense 1 pathos noun as in sorrow* Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance sorrow heartbreak anguish heartache grief misery seriousness woe agony dolor tribulation gravity solemnity somberness torture solemnness torment soberness Antonyms & Near Antonyms richness humor comedy comicality drollery funniness comic amusement irony enjoyment drollness humorousness absurdity hilariousness pleasure fun ridiculousness uproariousness ludicrousness laughableness See More
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