Master confusing words with ease
Pathos vs. Bathos
Pathos
Examples:
The film's pathos left the audience in tears.Her letter was filled with genuine pathos, moving everyone.Pathos in his speech evoked empathy from the listeners.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
Bathos
Examples:
The novel's shift from tragedy to humor was pure bathos.Stepping from the sublime to the ridiculous gave the speech its bathos.The painting's sudden use of cartoonish figures was intentional bathos.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
Ways to tell them apart:
- Both terms relate to emotion, but pathos is genuine while bathos is often unintended or overly sentimental.
- Remember that pathos starts with pat, which is part of the word empathetic, linking it to deep, true feelings.
- Bathos sounds similar to bathtubs, which often spill over, just as bathos spills over into insincerity or exaggeration.
- Pathos is more respected, whereas bathos can be seen as a mistake in tone.
- Think of pathos as being on a path to the soul, while bathos leads to a drop in emotional impact.
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