pathos

  1. 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.
  2. Noun.  (rhetoric) A writer's attempt to persuade an audience through appeals involving the use of strong emotions not strictly limited to pity.
  3. Noun.  (literature) An author's attempt to evoke a feeling of pity or sympathetic sorrow for a character.
  4. 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.