pity

American  

[pit-ee] / ˈpɪt i /

noun

plural

pities

1. 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

2. a cause or reason for pity, sorrow, or regret.

   What a pity you could not go!

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adjective

1. motivated by a sense of pity or sympathy for others or for oneself.

   It seems he got the pity vote because of his personality, but his singing just wasn’t that great.

verb (used with object)

pitied, pitying

1. to feel pity or compassion for; be sorry for; commiserate with.

verb (used without object)

pitied, pitying

1. to have compassion; feel pity.

idioms

1. have / take pity, to show mercy or compassion.

pity British  

/ ˈpɪtɪ /

noun

1. sympathy or sorrow felt for the sufferings of another

2. to have sympathy or show mercy for

3. something that causes regret or pity

4. an unfortunate chance

   what a pity you can't come

5. it is highly regrettable (that)

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verb

1. (tr) to feel pity for

pity More Idioms  

1. see for one's (pity's) sake; take pity on.

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Related Words

See sympathy .

Other Word Forms

• outpity verb (used with object)
• pitying adjective
• pityingly adverb
• unpitied adjective

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”); piety

Example Sentences

That's a "pity" because of the "great teachers" across the county, she added.

From BBC

But where Erika Kirk went with the angry pose, Kolvet framed his criticism of Owens as pity, saying she’s “obviously distraught,” and suggesting she’s lost her mind.

From Salon

Mr. Anders’s characters never really transcend their sketchy outlines, leaving us at times a bit bored and at others confused, as a certain pity sets in for the talented performers in these parts.

From The Wall Street Journal

And I don’t wanna make this sound like a pity party, but the roles tend to go to the same 15 people.

From Los Angeles Times

Kerr, who has called eel trafficking the "greatest wildlife crime" on the planet, said the vote was a "real pity," but there were some silver linings.

From Barron's

Related Words

• compassion
• condolence
• empathy
• kindness
• melancholy
• mercy
• sadness
• sorrow
• sympathy
• tenderness
• warmth