pity
Americannoun
-
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)
verb (used without object)
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:
When they first appeared on screen, and for most of their time giving evidence, Donaldson stared at them with a look of what seemed like pity or sadness on his face.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
"It's a pity" China has missed out on every World Cup except 2002, he said, given football's popularity at home.
From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026
After receiving her payout in November 2025, she told the BBC: "At last, after 26 years, they've recognised justice," adding it was a "pity they took so long".
From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026
She didn’t want pity, never mentioned her past and had no words to explain it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
“It’s a pity Laurie isn’t here to help us,” began Jo, as they sat down to ice cream and salad for the second time in two days.
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
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
On days when my anxiety is raging, I picture myself as an old woman whom everyone pities, sitting all alone at my niece’s wedding.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2021
He is too kind—or perhaps still too young—to show his parents contempt, but he sometimes pities our cluelessness.
From Slate ● Apr. 3, 2020
He thinks his wife hates him or pities him or both.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
Véra resents being pitied, while Agathe cannot bear to confront her feelings of guilt.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 7, 2026
His fans rolled with his excesses and pitied his life tragedies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2025
She pitied his inability to move past his grievances and admit defeat.
From Salon ● Jan. 5, 2025
If I lived nearby, I could help out easily with prepared meals or some such, but I don’t want to make them uncomfortable or pitied by giving them cold hard cash.
From Slate ● Dec. 2, 2022
He pitied the first knight to try the Hound today.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
“The waits are insane,” he said, pitying people who had only a day in the park and were hoping to hit all of the highlights by bus.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 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
When someone is pitying, that's the end of the conversation for me.
From Salon ● Nov. 15, 2021
I looked up at the woman, who was still looking down at me with pitying eyes.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
Definitions 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.
