Sob Story (Noun)
Meaning
A sentimental story (or drama) of personal distress; designed to arouse sympathy.
Classification
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents.
Examples
- The stand-up comedian's routine was interrupted by a woman sharing a sob story about her sick cat to garner attention and sympathy from the crowd.
- He claimed his latest fundraising campaign was for a good cause, but critics dismissed it as just another sob story to get donations.
- The memoir was criticized for being overly melodramatic, relying on sob stories about the author's difficult childhood to elicit empathy from readers.
- Her sob story about being a single mother working two jobs to make ends meet won over the hearts of the TV audience and earned her a cash prize.
- The movie's ending was a classic sob story, with the poor protagonist dying of a rare disease in the arms of their loved one.