Ethos Meaning

/ˈiːθɒs/
C2

Definition, CEFR level C2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.

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nounThe character or fundamental values of a person, people, culture, or movement.

nounA form of rhetoric in which the writer or speaker invokes their authority, competence or expertise in an attempt to persuade others that their view is correct.

Settling down and raising a family was against the ethos of the times.
What is the Australian ethos?
How would you describe the ethos of Tatoeba?
CEFR Practice Quiz
The company's ____ of hard work and honesty guided every decision they made.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The school's ____ is built on the values of respect, integrity, and lifelong learning.

From Ancient Greek ἦθος (êthos, “character; custom, habit”). Cognate to Sanskrit स्वधा (svadhā́, “habit, custom”).

"To slip past censors, Chinese bloggers have become masters of comic subterfuge, cloaking their messages in protective layers of irony and satire. This is not a new concept, but it has erupted so powerfully that it now defines the ethos of the Internet in China." — 2011 October 26, Brook Larmer, “Where an Internet Joke Is Not Just a Joke”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
"As we saw with Housing Problems, this 'telling one's own story' is an ethos Edgar Anstey would have applauded, and it was an ethos that has fed into Network Rail's work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Green explains: "COVID has produced huge challenges for us, but it showed there is such a need for film-making at a time like this."" — 2021 March 10, Greg Morse, “Telling the railway's story on film”, in RAIL, number 926, page 49:
"Through all their projects, their abiding ethos has been observing and responding to the site and its existing ecology and growth patterns." — 2026 May 26, Cyrus Dunham, “Nature's Way”, in Architectural Digest, volume 83, number 4, page 106:

Explore More C2 Vocabulary Words

CEFR Practice Quiz
The company's ____ of hard work and honesty guided every decision they made.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The school's ____ is built on the values of respect, integrity, and lifelong learning.

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