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pathos

[pey-thos, -thohs, -thaws] / ˈpeɪ θɒs, -θoʊs, -θɔs /


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Taking a cue from nickelodeon piano players, composer John Powell steers the mood with a vibrantly eclectic score of sprightly ragtime, violin pathos and popcorn crescendos.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 1, 2026

And in the crucial scene when Sonny is put on the phone with Leon, whom he calls his wife—Sonny’s motive is to pay for Leon’s sex-reassignment surgery—he strikes moving notes of pathos.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

Even the sequences of obvious pathos are earned, over and over again.

From Salon • Mar. 21, 2026

Instead it ventures into something creator Seth MacFarlane and company usually avoid, genuine pathos.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026

Ethos will suffuse all that follows, logos and pathos alike.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith




Vocabulary lists containing pathos


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