pity

noun \ ˈpi-tē \

|Updated on: 18 Jul 2018

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Examples: pity in a Sentence

Definition of pity

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

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Examples of pity in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of pity from the Web

Yet somehow, someway, against fairly daunting odds, the singer’s show felt not like a pity party, but like a party party, one that featured ample opportunities to sing along, clap along, dance along, and smile along.

— théoden janes, charlotteobserver, "Review: Did Sam Smith and his sad songs find a way to send Charlotte fans home happy?," 7 July 2018
At the time of Princess Margaret’s wedding to Anthony Armstrong-Jones, Thorpe sent a friend a postcard: 'What a pity about HRH.

— elizabeth angell, Town & Country, "A Very English Scandal," 29 June 2018
Not sympathy—not looking in on the lives of others with pity or condescension; but empathy—finding resonance in the feelings of others in a meaningful, experiential, even transformative way.

— thomas harlander, Los Angeles Magazine, "Eddie Huang’s Immigrant-Focused Food Show Can’t Come Soon Enough," 20 June 2018
Science has proven the impossibility of the human brain to register self-pity, or maunder on about the generally sorry state of things, while in the presence of canine bellyflops.

— christopher solomon, Outside Online, "This Whippet Is One of the World's Great Athletes," 18 June 2018
There’s a distinct lack of melodrama or confessional detail, the self-pity or regret that accompany a broken romance or a broken life.

— greg kot, chicagotribune.com, "Neko Case stomps the terra with the powerful ‘Hell-On’," 1 June 2018
Paper Boi paid for his hair cut by throwing his money to the ground, showing no remorse or pity for the barber.

— lauren alvarez, Billboard, "'Atlanta' Episode 5 Recap: Paper Boi's Absurd Adventures With His Barber," 30 Mar. 2018
This is a pity, for the historical narrative is, in part, the point of the show.

— julia couzens, sacbee, "Power to the people -- through clay | The Sacramento Bee," 4 May 2018
To that end, the First Lady shouldn't be reduced to an internet caricature of herself, deserving of pity.

— de elizabeth, Teen Vogue, "France's First Lady Brigitte Macron on Melania Trump," 29 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pity.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of pity

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

pity Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of 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.