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In Greek, ēthos means “custom” or “character.” As originally used by Aristotle, it referred to a person’s character or personality, especially with respect to a balance between passion and caution. In English, ethos is used today to refer to the practices or values that distinguish one person, organization, or society from others. In rhetoric, ethos is often studied alongside pathos and logos as a technique to successfully persuade an audience. Related terms in the English language include ethics (“a branch of philosophy dealing with what is morally right or wrong”) and ethology (“a branch of knowledge dealing with human character and with its formation and evolution”).
Examples of ethos in a Sentence
Susmita Baral, Travel + Leisure, 6 Dec. 2025
Because, besides grouping together all these harmless, cute, tiny creatures, the ethos that runs through frogposting is a very twenty-first-century rejection of the complexities of modern human life.
—Hazlitt, 3 Dec. 2025
Year after year, Woods stays true to his indie-rap ethos, pushing the limits lyrically and musically of what hip-up can be and Golliwog is no exception.
—Tim Blake Nelson, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
Wyler ended up paying his own way, demonstrating the hustle that is part of the Cincinnati ethos.
—Leyla Shokoohe, Cincinnati Enquirer, 30 Nov. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Ethos.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ethos. Accessed 11 Dec. 2025.
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