Bathetic (Adjective)
Meaning
Effusively or insincerely emotional; "a bathetic novel"; "maudlin expressions of sympathy"; "mushy effusiveness"; "a schmaltzy song"; "sentimental soap operas"; "slushy poetry".
Classification
All adjective clusters.
Examples
- The actor's over-the-top performance was criticized for being bathetic and lacking genuine emotional depth.
- The romance novel's bathetic descriptions of love and heartbreak made it a laughingstock among literary critics.
- The politician's bathetic speech about the importance of family values was seen as a transparent attempt to garner votes.
- The film's bathetic ending, complete with a sweeping orchestral score and tears of joy, left many viewers rolling their eyes.
- The poet's bathetic odes to nature were ridiculed by his contemporaries for their excessive sentimentality and lack of subtlety.