pathos
- Noun. That quality or property of anything which touches the feelings or excites emotions and passions, esp., that which awakens tender emotions, such as pity, sorrow, and the like; contagious warmth of feeling, action, or expression; pathetic quality.
- Noun. (rhetoric) A writer's attempt to persuade an audience through appeals involving the use of strong emotions not strictly limited to pity.
- Noun. (literature) An author's attempt to evoke a feeling of pity or sympathetic sorrow for a character.
- Noun. (theology) (philosophy) In theology and existentialist ethics following Kierkegaard and Heidegger, a deep and abiding commitment of the heart, as in the notion of "finding your passion" as an important aspect of a fully lived, engaged life.
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This entry was last updated on RefTopia from its source on 3/20/2012.