Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

hathos

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: hathos
IPA

12

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

1

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Enjoyment derived from hatred of a person or thing.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

"The patron saint of hathos connoisseurs, H.L. Mencken, was a brave soul, but even a fellow as sturdy and unstinting as he might have been struck dumb in the presence of the extravagantly hathotic Kathie Lee Gifford."

Etymology

Blend of hate + pathos. According to journalist Alex Heard, this word was coined in 1985 when he was searching for a word to describe the "cringe-y feeling you get when celebs go AWOL" and attended a Super Bowl party where he and another guest, then-Bob Dole press aide Scott Richardson, exchanged ideas until they came up with "hathos." The word's first apparent use in print was in an essay by Heard, published in The Washington Post on May 17, 1987.

Usage

Uncountable

Phrases

love to hate

Frequently Paired Words

love to hate

Questions

What does hathos mean?: Enjoyment derived from hatred of a person or thing.
Where does hathos come from?: Blend of hate + pathos. According to journalist Alex Heard, this word was coined in 1985 when he was searching for a word to describe the "cringe-y feeling you get when celebs go AWOL" and attended a Super Bowl party where he and another guest, then-Bob Dole press aide Scott Richardson, exchanged ideas until they came up with "hathos." The word's first apparent use in print was in an essay by Heard, published in The Washington Post on May 17, 1987.

How to pronounce hathos

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “hathos”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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Repeat and practice — Say “hathos” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.