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.
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.
The audience in the courtroom laughs a bit pityingly.
From Slate ● Nov. 11, 2015
When I asked for the job, some of my colleagues were surprised, and a few could barely disguise their contempt for the medium, asking me pityingly how I could bear to watch all that junk.
From New York Times ● Jul. 21, 2015
Schmidt and Rosenberg, who occasionally refer pityingly to “incumbents”—business organizations that already existed when Google began—are proud to proclaim that Google is a “flat organization” that began with “no concept of an org chart.”
From The New Yorker ● Nov. 24, 2014
With high cheekbones and the penetrating stare of a superior automaton — or maybe just a posh Englishman looking pityingly on the other, mostly-American actors — Cumberbatch infuses Into Darkness with a creepy class.
From Time ● May 13, 2013
The other man looked at Wang Lung pityingly.
From "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck
