word
Literary
bathetic
buh-THET-ik
bəˈθɛtɪkListen
Hear it in a clear American voice. Slow it down to catch each syllable.
Syllable breakdown
bathetic
Sounds like
Say 'buh-THET-ik' — not 'ba-THET-ik'.
Dictionary meaning
Producing an effect of anticlimax by abrupt transition from the elevated to the commonplace.
History and origin
Greek — 'bathos' (depth).
Examples
- The speech was rendered bathetic by the chairman's sudden digression into car park charges.
Common mispronunciations
BAY-thet-ikba-THET-ik
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