noun
pathos
PAY-thos
noun
1
A quality in something that stirs feelings of pity or sadness.
"The film's ending was full of quiet pathos."
2
In rhetoric, an appeal to the audience's emotions to persuade them.
"The speech relied heavily on pathos rather than facts."
How to Use Pathos
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe emotional pull of something — the quality that makes you feel sympathy or sadness.
Common pairings
a sense of pathos
appeal to pathos
Word Forms
pathoses plural
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The film's ending was full of quiet _____.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek pathos, "suffering" or "feeling."