as in sadness
disapproving
a feeling of pity for yourself because you believe you have suffered more than is fair or reasonable
He was wallowing in self-pity. She spoke without a trace of self-pity.
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Recent Examples of self-pity
Those reflections on youthful passion contrast sharply with the Mozzer’s current state of self-pity.
—
Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone, 6 Mar. 2026
Winning an Olympic gold medal with Team USA last month has undoubtedly helped his mood, but there’s also a level of maturity at this stage of his career — and life — that doesn’t leave much room for self-pity.
—Vincent Z. Mercogliano, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026
Now 30, Varvarych was a bodybuilder and is still proud of his physique, refusing to show self-pity.
—Carol Guzy, NPR, 22 Feb. 2026
No self-pity in those four words, no performance of stoicism either—just the clean arithmetic of a life lived at full speed.
—Outside, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for self-pity
Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone, 6 Mar. 2026
Winning an Olympic gold medal with Team USA last month has undoubtedly helped his mood, but there’s also a level of maturity at this stage of his career — and life — that doesn’t leave much room for self-pity.
—Vincent Z. Mercogliano, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026
Now 30, Varvarych was a bodybuilder and is still proud of his physique, refusing to show self-pity.
—Carol Guzy, NPR, 22 Feb. 2026
No self-pity in those four words, no performance of stoicism either—just the clean arithmetic of a life lived at full speed.
—Outside, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for self-pity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-pity
Noun
-
The prospect filled me with surprising sadness.—
Hannah Goldfield,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
The bittersweet tale infused with humor and sadness chimed with the Cannes audience.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Some cultures and traditions have structured approaches to conversations around mortality, questions around the afterlife and practices around grief, while others do not.—
Madeline Holcombe,
CNN Money,
23 May 2026
-
Families living in a toxic-waste polluted area around Naples were preparing to meet Pope Leo XIV during his pastoral visit on Saturday, carrying with them years of grief, anger and hopes for justice after losing children to cancer linked to a multi-billion mafia racket of dumping toxic waste.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 May 2026
Noun
-
Last words are last words, despite the passage of time, conveying similar messages of sorrow, love, anger, camaraderie, defiance, hope and guilt.—
Erik Ortiz,
NBC news,
20 May 2026
-
This attack has resulted in trauma, sorrow and pain for thousands across the city.—
Sarah Hassaine,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
While the actors are committed, poignant and warm, their upbeat tone doesn’t always blend well with the melancholy of the picture.—
Tomris Laffly,
Variety,
13 May 2026
-
These flashes of melancholy or yearning give the record complexity and depth, as well as stopping it from devolving into wackiness.—
Alastair Shuttleworth,
Pitchfork,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
The parallels between Ines’ dilemma and that of a nation being asked to lick its wounds in silence — in the name of moving on from past miseries — are present but elusive.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
14 May 2026
-
There are fun bad teams, or teams that at least make a unique bonding experience out of their specific type of misery.—
Hanif Abdurraqib,
New Yorker,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
Annah’s resulting anguish is so uncomfortable for the others, that Ibrahim and Jacques practically come to blows.—
Alissa Simon,
Variety,
16 May 2026
-
Yet masculinism also functions as a perpetual-motion machine of grievance, an inarticulate howl of anguish at the status quo—whatever that currently is.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
There’s a roughly 50-50 shot at survival, and the unlucky half will die in agony, bleeding profusely as their organs begin to fail.—
Neil Vora,
Time,
22 May 2026
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The blowout loss would’ve been enough agony, but there were injuries to match the insult.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
Even as Gen Z faces a labor market mired in uncertainty, receiving mixed signals about how AI will reshape the future of work, Upwork President and CEO Hayden Brown is not doom-and-gloom.—
Jacqueline Munis,
Fortune,
19 May 2026
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Kieran Trippier has been one of those players for Newcastle United; a ripple-maker, a gloom-buster and a standard-bearer.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
16 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Self-pity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-pity. Accessed 25 May. 2026.
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