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pathos

[pay-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.

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Now, with her latest show Youth, Horgan puts the spotlight on 50-something women, imbued with her trademark tightly balanced mix of hilarity and pathos.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

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

He establishes that “pride” was at the root of his downfall, hints at the pathos of what he’s lost, and appears unexpectedly generous to the God he might reasonably be expected to curse.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith




Vocabulary lists containing pathos


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