pity

1 of 2

noun

ˈpi-tē 

plural pities

1

a

: sympathetic sorrow for one suffering, distressed, or unhappy

b

: capacity to feel pity

2

: something to be regretted

it's a pity you can't go

pity

2 of 2

verb

pitied; pitying

transitive verb

: to feel pity for

intransitive verb

: to feel pity

Synonyms

Noun

• crime
• disgrace
• shame
• sin

Verb

• ache (for)
• bleed (for)
• commiserate (with)
• compassionate
• condole (with)
• feel (for)
• sympathize (with)
• yearn (over)

Choose the Right Synonym for pity

pity, compassion, commiseration, condolence, sympathy mean the act or capacity for sharing the painful feelings of another.

pity implies tender or sometimes slightly contemptuous sorrow for one in misery or distress.

felt pity for the captives

compassion implies pity coupled with an urgent desire to aid or to spare.

treats the homeless with great compassion

commiseration suggests pity expressed outwardly in exclamations, tears, or words of comfort.

murmurs of commiseration filled the loser's headquarters

condolence applies chiefly to formal expression of grief to one who has suffered loss.

expressed their condolences to the widow

sympathy often suggests a tender concern but can also imply a power to enter into another's emotional experience of any sort.

went to my best friend for sympathy

in sympathy with her desire to locate her natural parents

Examples of pity in a Sentence

Noun

She has had a hard life and deserves your pity.

I felt deep pity for the lost dog.

He didn't live to see his daughter grow up, and that's a pity.

Verb

I pity anyone who has to work at that place.

I always pity the people who have to work in this freezing weather.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

If you're met with pity about your child's autism, don't be afraid to correct your colleagues politely. —Julie Kratz, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025

Unfortunately, Brit drags some residuals of her pity party into the episode while car shopping with her husband in a scene devoid of any chemistry, then at dinner with Drew. —Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2025

Verb

Just thinking about the poor suckers who had to guard her in high school makes Fudd pity them. —Grace Raynor, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2025

In this type of thinking, the desire to be alone is seen as unnatural and unhealthy, something to be pitied or feared rather than valued or encouraged. —Virginia Thomas, The Conversation, 4 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English pite, from Anglo-French pité, from Latin pietat-, pietas piety, pity, from pius pious

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Phrases Containing pity

• have mercy/pity
• more's the pity
• self-pity
• take pity on

Rhymes for pity

• bitty
• city
• ditty
• gritty
• kitty
• nitty
• pretty
• witty
• atomicity
• catholicity
• ellipticity
• historicity

Kids Definition

pity

1 of 2 noun

ˈpit-ē 

plural pities

1

: sympathetic sorrow for one suffering, distressed, or unhappy : compassion

2

: something to be regretted

it's a pity you can't go

pity

2 of 2 verb

pitied; pitying

: to feel pity for