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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.

Berlant describes their shared sensibility, the ability to simultaneously play comedy and pathos, as a kind of freedom.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

Braff: I think that it’s Bill’s unique mix of comedy and pathos and emotion and fantasy.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2026

But to her credit, Ms. Coon never turns the character into a wild-eyed hysteric or a manipulated figure of pure pathos.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

But Ms. MeLampy is a gifted writer who works her grandmother’s material into her book with sparing pathos and plenty of humor.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 26, 2025

Aposiopesis—a sudden breaking off as if at a loss for words—can be intended to stir pathos.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith




Vocabulary lists containing pathos


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