as in merciful
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Dissimilar Words
as in loving
to have sympathy for
I always pity the people who have to work in this freezing weather
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pitying
Daniyal Mueenuddin, New Yorker, 23 Nov. 2025
Twenty-first-century indie shaped the identities of many Millennials, but it’s now often talked about with pitying nostalgia—as the bygone style of hipsters with handlebar mustaches pretending to be countercultural while making easy-listening music for hotel lobbies.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 29 Aug. 2025
Verb
The mother took him in, pitying his orphan status and appreciating his straightforward manners, neither servile nor presumptuous, but respectful and unembarrassed and warm.
—Daniyal Mueenuddin, New Yorker, 23 Nov. 2025
Twenty-first-century indie shaped the identities of many Millennials, but it’s now often talked about with pitying nostalgia—as the bygone style of hipsters with handlebar mustaches pretending to be countercultural while making easy-listening music for hotel lobbies.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pitying
Adjective
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And what seemed most probably was a blip ultimately dominoed into the disillusioning 2025 season that will come to a merciful end on Sunday in Las Vegas.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
1 Jan. 2026
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This was seen by the founders as a merciful act, stemming from the tradition of old English law.—
Stewart Ulrich,
The Conversation,
15 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The Patriots are loving an analogy that head coach Mike Vrabel first brought to the table before Thanksgiving.—
Doug Kyed,
Boston Herald,
8 Jan. 2026
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The loving chaos wrought by Christine Ebersole and Ciarán Hinds as Alex’s parents in their family home further adds to the subversion of the film, upending expectations of film parents whose son is going through a life-changing event.—
Carole Horst,
Variety,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Ballato calls out Japanese holly as a shrub that's not only deer-resistant but also one that's particularly winter-tolerant.—
Lee Wallender,
The Spruce,
8 Jan. 2026
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For example, a recent study of ours in Montana found that an increasing majority of residents, 74% in 2023, are tolerant or very tolerant of wolves.—
Justin Angle,
The Conversation,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Andrew begins to feel both sympathetic and longing for Millie and leaves Nina for the maid.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
10 Jan. 2026
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Although its questions framed the scandal with wording sympathetic to Republicans, the survey suggests the GOP sees an opening that could drag down Democrats.—
Ramsey Touchberry,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Chastain, who is the lead star and an executive producer of the series, was not especially understanding.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Oct. 2025
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Thanks to Comedy Central and South Park fans for being so understanding.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Jeffrey Tully, an anesthesiology professor at the University of California, San Diego, and a researcher in the health care cybersecurity field, said that tech outages can cause delays in patient care, which cause worse health outcomes.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
15 Jan. 2026
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In our discussion, Hollinger weighs in on whether Detroit should go all-in or operate with an opportunistic mindset; how patient the Pistons should be with guard Jaden Ivey; Detroit’s path to converting Daniss Jenkins’ two-way contract; the future of veteran forward Tobias Harris and more.—
Hunter Patterson,
New York Times,
15 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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With the economy in the doldrums, the public is less forbearing.—
Jeff Kingston,
Time,
4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Care Instructions Despite their forgiving reputation, these tropical plants have specific needs.—
Rachel Gillett,
Martha Stewart,
29 Dec. 2025
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Pork shoulder is such a forgiving cut of meat.—
The New York Times News Service Syndicate,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pitying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pitying. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
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