bathos
|bath-os|
🇺🇸
/ˈbeɪθɑːs/
🇬🇧
/ˈbeɪθɒs/
descent from sublime to trivial
Etymology
'bathos' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'βάθος' (bathos), where the root meant 'depth'.
'bathos' was used in Modern Latin and was introduced into English in the 18th century, notably popularized by Alexander Pope's satirical piece titled 'Peri Bathos' which parodied the classical work on sublimity; the term shifted from a literal sense of 'depth' to a rhetorical/literary sense.
Initially it meant 'depth' (literal sense), but over time it came to mean an ironic or comic 'descent from the sublime to the trivial' or excessive, trite sentimentality.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
an abrupt transition from the elevated or serious to the trivial or ludicrous, producing an anticlimax; often used in literary criticism.
The poem aimed for grandeur but descended into bathos when it ended with a tired cliché about sunsets.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Noun 2
excessive or insincere sentimentality that comes across as trite or ridiculous rather than moving.
Her speech was intended to be moving but ended in bathos because of overblown, sentimental anecdotes.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Noun 3
a deliberate rhetorical device in which a writer or speaker intentionally drops from a lofty style to the trivial for comic effect (deliberate anticlimax).
The satirist used bathos to undercut pompous rhetoric and get a laugh from the audience.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/10/21 09:52