WordWeb Online

1. A quality that arouses emotions (especially pity or sorrow)
   "the film captured all the pathos of their situation"
   - poignancy
    
2. A feeling of sympathy and sorrow for the misfortunes of others
   "the blind are too often objects of pathos"
   - commiseration, pity, ruth
    
3. A style that has the power to evoke feelings

Derived forms: pathoses

See also: pathetic

Type of: expressive style, fellow feeling, quality, style, sympathy

Encyclopedia: Pathos