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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
Michael Taylor, Forbes.com, 12 May 2025
Activities and Experiences Rosewood is famed for its sense of place ethos, and here, guests are very much encouraged to get out and about to discover the city’s nearby blockbuster attractions, as well as hidden pockets.
—Nicole Trilivas, Travel + Leisure, 8 May 2025
Stoner lawn art, as part of No-Mo May, taps into this ethos of sustainability but with a lighthearted and often irreverent twist.
—Matt Rozo, Mercury News, 7 May 2025
The post was a joke, and perhaps an effective one, maximizing the distance between Studio Ghibli’s tender, bittersweet, profoundly human ethos and the gleeful, dehumanizing viciousness that is Trump’s stock-in-trade.
—Jia Tolentino, New Yorker, 3 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ethos
Cite this Entry
“Ethos.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ethos. Accessed 28 May. 2025.
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