Bathos (Noun)
Meaning 1
A change from a serious subject to a disappointing one.
Classification
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents.
Examples
- The politician's speech about ending world hunger was disrupted by a sudden discussion of the cafeteria's limited lunch options, a stark example of bathos.
- The somber tone of the eulogy was shattered when the minister started talking about his favorite sports team, illustrating a jarring bathos.
- After the heartfelt speech about overcoming adversity, the charity event suddenly shifted to a sales pitch for a water filter, a striking instance of bathos.
- The tragic love story took an unintended turn towards bathos when the protagonist's main concern became whether his girlfriend would watch the same sports game as him.
- The documentary about the global water crisis concluded with a segment on the best ways to save money on household cleaning products, a disappointingly bathetic ending.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
Meaning 2
Triteness or triviality of style.
Classification
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents.
Examples
- The poem started with a powerful metaphor, but quickly descended into bathos with its clichéd phrases about love and heartbreak.
- Her literary critique was otherwise astute, but marred by moments of bathos where she resorted to trite, overused descriptions.
- Despite his fascinating premise, the author's writing often lapsed into bathos, weighing the story down with silly dialogue and improbable events.
- The journalist's expose on corruption began compellingly, but devolved into bathos, its impact diluted by shallow analysis and predictable sound bites.
- What initially seemed a scathing satire disintegrated into bathos, offering little more than superficial mockery with none of the sharp insight promised.
Hypernyms
Meaning 3
Insincere pathos.
Classification
Nouns denoting feelings and emotions.
Examples
- The politician's over-the-top speech was a perfect example of bathos, as her desperate attempt to solicit sympathy from the audience only came across as insincere.
- His tears at the funeral seemed more of a bathos, as rumors had circulated that he was more interested in the deceased's wealth than their well-being.
- The charity commercial's constant tugging at the heartstrings felt like bathos, as its melodramatic tone made the cause seem trivial.
- Her rendition of the tragic ballad fell flat due to its overwrought bathos, which failed to convey genuine emotion.
- The movie's unsubtle exploration of grief came off as bathos, with clichéd lines that lacked the intended emotional depth.