pity
noun
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.
had been pitying
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past perfect progressiveof pity.past perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
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.
I had been pitying myself for not having books to read, and now I saw children who had never read a book.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
Virginie stroked her own chestnut head, as if she had been pitying another, and began humming a little Norman air, with a refrain that sounded like the murmur of a brook over the stones.
From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 04, No. 25, November, 1859 by Various
"No, my dawtie, it's true," he told her, and if he had been pitying himself a little, there was an end of that now.
From Sentimental Tommy The Story of His Boyhood by J. M. (James Matthew) Barrie
To every one's astonishment the blood began to flow again in the veins of the once invincible chief, and those who had been pitying the young medicine man began to congratulate him on his triumph.
She had been pitying the poor women on the other side of the globe, and here were girls in their own mill sacrificed like this!
From Roland Graeme: Knight A Novel of Our Time by Agnes Maule Machar
