pity
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.
a cause or reason for pity, sorrow, or regret: What a pity you could not go!
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.
to feel pity or compassion for; be sorry for; commiserate with.
to have compassion; feel pity.
Idioms about pity
have / take pity, to show mercy or compassion.
Origin of pity
1synonym study For pity
Other words for pity
Other words from pity
- out·pit·y, verb (used with object), out·pit·ied, out·pit·y·ing.
- un·pit·ied, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use pity in a sentence
Shaping the entire novel around this production provides a frame that literally dramatizes the themes of the story, propelling it forward even while William wallows in self-pity.
Ethan Hawke turns his acting experience — and past infidelities — into brilliant fiction | Ron Charles | February 2, 2021 | Washington PostAll this may sound alarmist, a caveat emptor of preemptive self-pity for the prospective thru-hiker.
Did Thru-Hiking the Appalachian Trail Ruin My Body? | Grayson Haver Currin | January 25, 2021 | Outside OnlineI shifted from self-pity to self-love in seeking elder women.
I pity those poor lockjawed souls who only know skiing from slopeside mansions and martini bars.
It’s almost as if he does not think politics is performance art for self-pitying cultists.
The elites who think MAGA voters are rubes: Republicans | Jennifer Rubin | November 11, 2020 | Washington Post
To his peers, he's an all-star eccentric who is pitied or clucked over protectively as often as he is envied.
What greater pleasure could an emotionally-needy speechwriter know than to be pitied by the most powerful person on earth?
The Funniest WHCD Speech Bill Clinton Never Delivered | Mark Katz | April 26, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTWomen pitied him, and gazed at him tenderly, wondering if a man could look like that for anything save the loss of a sweetheart.
Ramona | Helen Hunt JacksonTo-day he is left entirely alone, pitied by some, shunned by a few, and almost forgotten by the large majority.
The Philippine Islands | John ForemanShe was compassionate and, as she was unable to respect all men, she pitied those who were unfortunate enough to be wicked.
Honey-Bee | Anatole FranceThey sit in the shadow of death; but the greater their misfortune the more are they to be pitied and supported.
A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 1 (of 10) | Franois-Marie Arouet (AKA Voltaire)Little Meta did not like to show them her own bedroom—she pitied them so much when she thought of the contrast.
The Daisy Chain | Charlotte Yonge
British Dictionary definitions for pity
/ (ˈpɪtɪ) /
sympathy or sorrow felt for the sufferings of another
have pity on or take pity on to have sympathy or show mercy for
something that causes regret or pity
an unfortunate chance: what a pity you can't come
more's the pity it is highly regrettable (that)
(tr) to feel pity for
Origin of pity
1Derived forms of pity
- pitying, adjective
- pityingly, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with pity
see for one's (pity's) sake; take pity on.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Browse