bathetic
UK: bəˈθɛtɪk | US: bəˈθɛtɪk
adj. 1. Characterized by bathos; anticlimactically sentimental or trivial after a lofty start.
adj. 2. Insincerely or excessively emotional in a way that feels forced or artificial.
The word bathetic derives from bathos (Greek for "depth"), coined by Alexander Pope in the 18th century to describe a sudden descent from the sublime to the ridiculous. The suffix -etic (from Greek -etikos) forms adjectives, giving bathetic its modern meaning of "falling into triviality after grandeur." The term critiques artificial emotionality, reflecting a logical progression from literal "depth" to metaphorical "shallowness."
The film's bathetic ending ruined its otherwise powerful narrative.
His speech turned bathetic when he compared his minor injury to a wartime tragedy.
The novel's bathetic dialogue made the characters seem insincere.
Critics dismissed the poem as bathetic for its forced sentimentalism.
The opera’s bathetic final scene left the audience laughing unintentionally.