pity

[ pit-ee ]

/ ˈpɪt i /

|||

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pity ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural pit·ies.

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 astarving child.

a cause or reason for pity, sorrow, or regret: What a pity you could not go!

adjective

Informal. motivated by a sense of pity or sympathy for others or for oneself: to have pity sex with a virgin; to go on a pity date with a loser.

verb (used with object), pit·ied, pit·y·ing.

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

verb (used without object), pit·ied, pit·y·ing.

to have compassion; feel pity.

Nearby words

pituitary gonadotropic hormone, pituitary growth hormone, pituitary myxedema, pituitous, pituri, pity, pitying, pityriasis, pityriasis alba, pityriasis linguae, pityriasis rosea

Idioms

have/take pity, to show mercy or compassion.

Origin of pity

1175–1225; Middle English pite < Old French pite, earlier pitet < Latin pietāt- (stem of pietās) piety

SYNONYMS FOR pity

1 commiseration, compassion. See sympathy.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pity ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsout·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. 2019

Examples from the Web for pity

Lady Rose is also rather subdued in the premiere, which is a pity.
What Downton’s Fashion Really Means|Katie Baker|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It is not a pity party when you can stand up and say, “I am,” to be counted, reaffirmed, human.
I Was Gang Raped at a UVA Frat 30 Years Ago, and No One Did Anything|Liz Seccuro|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Africa was supposedly a place to avoid or, at best, an oddity to pity.
How I Got Addicted to Africa (and Wrote a Thriller About It)|Todd Moss|September 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It would have been easy to pity—and forget—the women that Davis played: ordinary, working class, and unromantic.
Ann B. Davis Was the Zesty Antidote to the Bradys|Emily Shire|June 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST

A creature deserving of pity and a medical diagnosis that will grant them a special status in society.
Surviving War Doesn’t Turn All Veterans into Victims, Sometimes it Helps Them Grow|David Morris|May 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His face was so beautiful in the moonlight that the little Swallow was filled with pity.
Children's Literature|Charles Madison Curry
It was a pity, he said, that my father would not visit Wyncote.
Hugh Wynne, Free Quaker|S. Weir Mitchell
Troth, tis pity, sir.A brauer hope of so assurd a father Did neuer comfort France.
The Fatal Dowry|Philip Massinger
Doesn't this urge you to pity, so that you will beg His Holiness for pardon, beg him to receive us?
Three Plays|Luigi Pirandello
We will leave these poor devils, in pity, to trade with others; but they must not delay us to make a pretence of earning money.
No Thoroughfare|Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins

British Dictionary definitions for pity

pity

/ (ˈpɪtɪ) /

noun plural pities

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 chancewhat a pity you can't come

more's the pity it is highly regrettable (that)

verb pities, pitying or pitied

(tr) to feel pity for

Derived Formspitying, adjectivepityingly, adverb

Word Origin for pity

C13: from Old French pité, from Latin pietās duty

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

Word Origin and History for pity (1 of 2)

pity

early 13c., from Old French pite, pitet "pity, mercy, compassion, care, tenderness; pitiful state, wretched condition" (11c., Modern French pitié), from Latin pietatem (nominative pietas) "piety, loyalty, duty" (see piety). Replaced Old English mildheortness, literally "mild-heartness," itself a loan-translation of Latin misericordia. English pity and piety were not fully distinguished until 17c. Transferred sense of "grounds or cause for pity" is from late 14c.

Word Origin and History for pity (1 of 2)

pity

"to feel pity for," late 15c., from Old French pitier and from pity (n.). Related: Pitied; pitying.

Idioms and Phrases with pity

pity

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

pity

noun, plural pit·ies.

adjective

verb (used with object), pit·ied, pit·y·ing.

verb (used without object), pit·ied, pit·y·ing.

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Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of pity

Examples from the Web for pity

British Dictionary definitions for pity

pity

noun plural pities

verb pities, pitying or pitied

Word Origin for pity

Word Origin and History for pity (1 of 2)

pity

Word Origin and History for pity (1 of 2)

pity

Idioms and Phrases with pity

pity