pathos

[pey-thos, -thohs, -thaws]

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.

pathos

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of pathos¹

First recorded in 1570–80; from Greek páthos “suffering, sensation, experience,” akin to páschein “to suffer, feel, be affected”; pathetic ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of pathos¹

C17: from Greek: suffering; related to penthos sorrow

Example Sentences

“Keep A Picture” is a modern Appalachian mountain ballad in terms of the exquisite, tangible pathos.

From Salon

There’s as much pathos in the production design as there is in the people.

From Los Angeles Times

What was most thrilling about Jiménez’s performance, however, was how he refused to lose himself to the pathos of illegal immigration, something too many people understandably do.

From Los Angeles Times

With ‘Shrinking,’ the actor holds his own alongside ‘titans’ like Harrison Ford — and with a serious helping of pathos to go with the usual comedy.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s a kooky spectacle, a movie that aggressively cuts from moments of philosophy to violence, from pathos to comedy.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• emotion 
• passion 
• poignancy