- Today's Word
Bathetic
buh-THET-ik
Definition
(adjective) Producing an unintentional effect of anticlimax by being overly sentimental or trivial.
Example
The film’s bathetic ending tried for tears but landed in cringe.
Fun Fact
Bathetic comes from the Greek word bathos, meaning “depth,” and was coined in contrast to “pathos.” While pathos moves us, bathos (and bathetic) refers to failed attempts at emotional gravity—where the result feels laughably out of place. You’ll find this word in reviews of soap operas, bad poetry, and speeches that take themselves way too seriously.
(verb) To reduce in intensity, force, or amount; to become less severe or widespread.
The protests didn’t end so much as abate — the crowds thinning gradually over three weeks until one morning the square was simply empty again.