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

What a beautiful thing about the human species: A creature that actually seeks to feel the stresses of other lives, to feel pity, and hope and sorrow for — well, forgive me, dear friend — the fate of others. —Samantha Dunn, Oc Register, 19 May 2025

As Edith slowly falls in love, Anton struggles to understand if his feelings for her are genuine or merely out of pity, while the ominous threat of the first World War looms over them. —Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 16 May 2025

Verb

These individuals are to be pitied rather than ostracized. —Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 14 May 2025

Which isn’t to suggest that we’re asked to pity him. —David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 22 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