The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 letter word PATHOS which also is the latest solution we found used in New York Times in 2025.
Rhetorical device used to tug at your heartstrings crossword clue answers
Here's a list of possible crossword answers ranked by the most likely to least likely.
| Answer | Likelyness | Letters |
|---|---|---|
| PATHOS | 100 % | 6 |
Why may PATHOS be the right solution?
"Pathos" is a rhetorical device that appeals to the audience's emotions, specifically aiming to evoke feelings of pity or sympathy. It is used to tug at the heartstrings of the audience, making them feel emotionally connected to the message being conveyed.
Words with a meaning similar to the clue: Rhetorical device used to tug at your heartstrings
These words may or may not be a possible solution to this crosswords clue.- trope
- glurge
- head
- drive
- strain
- order
- schesis
- repetition
- prolepsis
- litotes
- suspension
- paraleipsis
Crossword Answer definitions
PATHOS noun- The quality or property of anything which touches the feelings or excites emotions and passions, especially that which awakens tender emotions, such as pity, sorrow, and the like; contagious warmth of feeling, action, or expression; pathetic quality.
- A writer or speaker's attempt to persuade an audience through appeals involving the use of strong emotions such as pity.
- An author's attempt to evoke a feeling of pity or sympathetic sorrow for a character.
- In theology and existentialist ethics following Kierkegaard and Heidegger, a deep and abiding commitment of the heart, as in the notion of "finding your passion" as an important aspect of a fully lived, engaged life.
- Suffering; the enduring of active stress or affliction.
More crossword clues leading to the same solutions
Here's a few more crossword clues - all leading to the identical solution