bathos

noun

ba·​thos ˈbā-ˌthäs How to pronounce bathos (audio)
Synonyms of bathosnext
1
a
: the sudden appearance of the commonplace in otherwise elevated matter or style
b
: anticlimax
2
: exceptional commonplaceness : triteness
3
: insincere or overdone pathos : sentimentalism

Synonyms

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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 on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Elsewhere, a black granite sarcophagus is meant to be an homage to AIDS victims; this, too, empties into bathos. — Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 14 June 2024 Playing with comic bathos is a dangerous game when aiming for sincerity. — David Benedict, Variety, 12 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Greek báthos "depth," neuter s-stem derivative of bathýs "deep" — more at bathy-

Note: The English use of the word bathos allegedly originates with the satirical essay "ΠΕΡΙ ΒΑΘΟΥΣ / or Of the Art of Sinking in Poetry / Written in the Year 1727" (first published March, 1728), by "Martinus Scriblerus," a fictional literary hack created by Alexander Pope, John Arbuthnot, Jonathan Swift, and other members of the Scriblerus Club; authorship of the essay is usually ascribed to Pope. The Greek title (Perì báthous, "Concerning depth") echoes the title of the classical treatise "On the Sublime" (Perì hýpsous, literally, "Concerning height"), dated to the 1st century a.d. and formerly attributed to the 3rd century rhetorician Cassius Longinus. In Pope's essay, bathos—which, in the inverted perspective of the hack author, is a favorable quality—is used broadly to characterize literary passages deemed coarse or pedestrian for a genre such as epic poetry. The idea that bathos involves a shift from elevated to low is never stated explicitly—rather, a genre such as epic is by its nature elevated and the poetic execution (ironically praised by Scriblerus) is of low quality.

First Known Use

1727, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of bathos was in 1727

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Cite this Entry

“Bathos.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bathos. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about bathos

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