pity
Americannoun
-
pities
plural
-
sympathetic or kindly sorrow evoked by the suffering, distress, or misfortune of another, often leading one to give relief or aid or to show mercy.
to feel pity for a starving child.
- Synonyms:
- compassion, commiseration
-
a cause or reason for pity, sorrow, or regret.
What a pity you could not go!
adjective
verb (used with object)
-
pities,
present (3rd person singular)
-
pitied,
past participle, past
-
pitying
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
pities,
present (3rd person singular)
-
pitied,
past participle, past
-
pitying
present participle
idioms
noun
-
sympathy or sorrow felt for the sufferings of another
-
to have sympathy or show mercy for
-
something that causes regret or pity
-
an unfortunate chance
what a pity you can't come
-
it is highly regrettable (that)
verb
Synonym Usage
See sympathy .
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
pitysimple
-
pitiessimple
-
have pitiedperfect
-
has pitiedperfect
-
am pityingprogressive
-
are pityingprogressive
-
is pityingprogressive
-
have been pityingperfect progressive
-
has been pityingperfect progressive
Past
-
pitiedsimple
-
had pitiedperfect
-
was pityingprogressive
-
were pityingprogressive
-
had been pityingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of pity
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English pite, from Old French pite, earlier pitet, from Latin pietāt- (stem of pietās “dutiful respect, sense of duty”); see origin at piety
Explanation
If you feel pity, you feel sympathy for someone else's suffering. A documentary on prisoners who have been wrongfully convicted might make you feel pity for them. Use pity as a noun or a verb. You feel pity for the really bad singer so you try to look attentive, but then you pity yourself for having to suffer through his terrible rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." We also say something is a pity if it's something to be sad about. It's a pity that your computer crashed right after you finished your paper.
Vocabulary lists containing pity
"Everyday Use" by Alice Walker
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"Fine?" Vocabulary from the short story
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"The People Could Fly," Vocabulary from the folk tale
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“It’s a pity that we are losing a strong partner,” Zelensky said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
"When I close my eyes I can still see it, the pity on other passengers' faces. It was humiliating for her."
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
She isn’t a figure of pity or depravity, just a woman with the unsteadiness of a fawn.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
It was a sound of pity and awe, a sound that said this isn’t only history, it is human tragedy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
“It’s a pity now, Joe,” said I, “that you did not get on a little more, when we had our lessons here; isn’t it?”
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
What If they knew the panoply of pities we can name—pities for them, for ourselves?
From Scientific American ● Sep. 23, 2023
Sheila Veal, 62, pities the alleged shooter, saying his consumption and propagation of such a hateful ideology didn’t allow him to fully engage with the world.
From Washington Post ● May 20, 2022
Shatner has said he pities Takei and has claimed that “there’s a psychosis there” when it comes to Takei and that there’s something “festering” in the actor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2021
He lost a leg in a childhood accident, and she’s the one in the family who never pities him—who expects him to be able to do everything others can.
From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2020
He pities his parents when they speak to him this way, for having no experience of being young and in love.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
An essential part of respect is to not be pitied.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 21, 2025
His fans rolled with his excesses and pitied his life tragedies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2025
The chimney sweep comforts the kids by showing why their father should not be feared, but pitied.
From Slate ● Apr. 27, 2025
I pitied and feared for him as he suffers a series of painful humiliations.
From Salon ● Jan. 25, 2023
Yet all the gods had pitied Lord Odysseus, all but Poseidon, raging cold and rough against the brave king till he came ashore at last on his own land.
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
Lowery has little interest in pitying Mother Mary or making her the unwitting victim of the pop star industrial complex.
From Salon ● Apr. 24, 2026
It elicited pitying sighs from Labour's enlarged cohort of MPs, struggling to fit on the green benches on the government side of the House of Commons.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2024
Josh: In our quest to become better recyclers, Melissa, I found myself pitying the ephemeral life of a pizza box.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 19, 2024
People would visit me, with sad, pitying looks on their faces.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 16, 2022
A sharp, pitying smile pinched the corners of her lips.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
