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bathos

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ba⋅thos

  [bey-thos, -thaws, -thohs]
Use bathos in a Sentence
–noun
1. a ludicrous descent from the exalted or lofty to the commonplace; anticlimax.
2. insincere pathos; sentimentality; mawkishness.
3. triteness or triviality in style.
Origin:
1630–40; < Gk: depth

Synonyms:
2. maudlinness, tearfulness; mush, gush, schmaltz. 3. insipidity, inanity.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ba·thos   (bā'thŏs', -thôs')   
n.  

    1. An abrupt, unintended transition in style from the exalted to the commonplace, producing a ludicrous effect.

    2. An anticlimax.

    3. Insincere or grossly sentimental pathos: "a richly textured man who . . . can be . . . sentimental to the brink of bathos" (Kenneth L. Woodward).

    4. Banality; triteness.

    1. Insincere or grossly sentimental pathos: "a richly textured man who . . . can be . . . sentimental to the brink of bathos" (Kenneth L. Woodward).

    2. Banality; triteness.


[Greek, depth, from bathus, deep.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

bathos 
"anticlimax, a descent from the sublime to the ridiculous," 1727, from Gk. bathos "depth," related to bathys "deep;" introduced by Pope. Bathetic (1834) is either erroneously or humorously formed on the model of pathetic.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia

bathos

(from Greek bathys, "deep"), unsuccessful, and therefore ludicrous, attempt to portray pathos in art, i.e., to evoke pity, sympathy, or sorrow. The term was first used in this sense by Alexander Pope in his treatise Peri Bathous; or, The Art of Sinking in Poetry (1728). Bathos may result from an inappropriately dignified treatment of the commonplace, the use of elevated language and imagery to describe trivial subject matter, or from such an exaggeration of pathos (emotion provoked by genuine suffering) as to become overly sentimental or ridiculous.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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