Definition of bathos
1a : the sudden appearance of the commonplace in otherwise elevated matter or styleb : anticlimax
2 : exceptional commonplaceness : triteness
3 : insincere or overdone pathos : sentimentalism
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Examples of bathos in a Sentence
The serious message of the film is ruined by the bathos of its ridiculous ending.
a novel that wallows in bathos
Recent Examples of bathos from the Web
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And there are several moments of such bathos — from the ridiculous Prologue to the final leaps into the lake.
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The stories aren’t ginned up with emotion or bathos.
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Always, a larger goal is in mind: the absurdities and bathos and impossibility of How We Live Now.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bathos.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of bathos
Greek, literally, depth
Other Literature Terms
BATHOS Defined for English Language Learners
bathos
playDefinition of bathos for English Language Learners
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: the sudden appearance of a silly idea or event in a book, movie discussion, etc., that is serious in tone
Learn More about bathos
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See words that rhyme with bathos Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for bathos Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about bathos
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