pathos

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: pa=thos

CIDE DICTIONARY

pathos, n. [L., from Gr. pa`qos a suffering, passion, fr. paqei^n, pas`chein, to suffer; cf. po`nos toil, L. pati to suffer, E. patient.].

•  That quality or property of anything which touches the feelings or excites emotions and passions, esp., that which awakens tender emotions, such as pity, sorrow, and the like; contagious warmth of feeling, action, or expression; pathetic quality; as, the pathos of a picture, of a poem, or of a cry.  [1913 Webster]

  "The combination of incident, and the pathos of catastrophe."  [1913 Webster]
•  The quality or character of those emotions, traits, or experiences which are personal, and therefore restricted and evanescent; transitory and idiosyncratic dispositions or feelings as distinguished from those which are universal and deep-seated in character; -- opposed to ethos.  [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
•  Suffering; the enduring of active stress or affliction.  [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

pathos, n. a quality in speech, writing, events, etc., that excites pity or sadness.

Etymology

Gk pathos suffering, rel. to paskho suffer, penthos grief

THESAURUS

pathos

bathos, benevolence, bitterness, bleakness, caring, cheerlessness, chord, clemency, comfortlessness, commiseration, compassion, concern, condolence, depression, discomfort, dismalness, distress, distressfulness, dreariness, echo, empathy, favor, feeling, fellow feeling, forbearance, forgiveness, grace, grief, grievousness, heaviness, heaviness of heart, heavy heart, heavyheartedness, humanity, identification, involvement, joylessness, kindness, lamentability, lamentation, leniency, mercy, mitigation, mournfulness, pain, painfulness, pardon, pitiability, pitiableness, pitifulness, pity, poignancy, quarter, regrettableness, relating, relief, reprieve, response, responsiveness, ruth, sadheartedness, sadness, self-pity, sharing, sharpness, sorrowfulness, sympathetic chord, sympathetic response, sympathy, vibes, vibrations, woebegoneness, woefulness

ROGET THESAURUS

pathos

Feeling

N feeling, suffering, endurance, tolerance, sufferance, supportance, experience, response, sympathy, impression, inspiration, affection, sensation, emotion, pathos, deep sense, warmth, glow, unction, gusto, vehemence, fervor, fervency, heartiness, cordiality, earnestness, eagerness, empressement, gush, ardor, zeal, passion, enthusiasm, verve, furore, fanaticism, excitation of feeling, fullness of the heart, passion, ecstasy, blush, suffusion, flush, hectic, tingling, thrill, turn, shock, agitation, quiver, heaving, flutter, flurry, fluster, twitter, tremor, throb, throbbing, pulsation, palpitation, panting, trepidation, perturbation, ruffle, hurry of spirits, pother, stew, ferment, state of excitement, feeling, sentient, sensuous, sensorial, sensory, emotive, emotional, of feeling, with feeling, warm, quick, lively, smart, strong, sharp, acute, cutting, piercing, incisive, keen, keen as a razor, trenchant, pungent, racy, piquant, poignant, caustic, impressive, deep, profound, indelible, deep felt, home felt, heartfelt, swelling, soul-stirring, deep-mouthed, heart-expanding, electric, thrilling, rapturous, ecstatic, earnest, wistful, eager, breathless, fervent, fervid, gushing, passionate, warm-hearted, hearty, cordial, sincere, zealous, enthusiastic, glowing, ardent, burning, red-hot, fiery, flaming, boiling over, pervading, penetrating, absorbing, rabid, raving, feverish, fanatical, hysterical, impetuous, impressed with, moved with, touched with, affected with, penetrated with, seized with, imbued with, devoured by, wrought up, struck all of a heap, rapt, in a quiver, enraptured, heart and soul, from the bottom of one's heart, ab imo pectore, at heart, con amore, heartily, devoutly, over head and ears, head over heels, the heart big, the heart full, the heart swelling, the heart beating, the heart pulsating, the heart throbbing, the heart thumping, the heart beating high, the heart melting, the heart overflowing, the heart bursting, the heart breaking, the heart goes out, a heart as big as all outdoors (sympathy).