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.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
-
There’s some sadness mixed with true joy.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
8 May 2026
-
For McKidd, seeing Dane included in the finale montage brought both sadness and gratitude.—
Deirdre Durkan,
PEOPLE,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
These could simply be great-grandparents put peacefully to rest in old age, a kind of grief far removed from that which children feel over parents who simply cannot care for them, or parents lost to murder or addiction, as some of the letters describe.—
Casey Cep,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
-
Kera Sanchez is editor-in-chief of Get Griefy Magazine, which is dedicated to helping people living with grief find solace, inspiration, and a sense of community.—
Edie Kasten,
CBS News,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
Unique is meant to embody that racial trauma, but Moore doesn’t possess the grit necessary to make the pain and sorrow resonate.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
-
The reader feels the moment’s vitality and presence, and the sorrow at its loss, but not because Ford insists on it.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
His reputation, as captured by obituaries in the Guardian and the Times of London, is one of genteel melancholy and precise social observation.—
Charlie Tyson,
Harpers Magazine,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Still, the achievement carried a touch of melancholy for Lovell.—
Daniel I. Dorfman,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Riley has spent the majority of the past two decades attempting to distance himself from his book-selling mantra of championship or misery.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
4 May 2026
-
The misery wrought by insurgents in largely ungoverned spaces will push people to flee.—
Ulf Laessing,
semafor.com,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Being separated from her parents as a baby was an unhealed sorrow for Heidi, and her anguish followed her into the messy intimacy of family life.—
Nicholas Dawidoff,
New Yorker,
10 May 2026
-
Her outside-looking in remembrances (Romvari shoots scenes sometimes from the perspective of looking through a window) elliptically convey much – parental anguish about what would be the best call to action for the entire family, not the upheaval felt within the family.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
Hidden is the agony of parents mourning the loss of their babies.—
Duaa Eldeib,
CNN Money,
8 May 2026
-
This multi-generational story explores the beauty, agony, and hilarity of loving other people deeply.—
Angelique Jackson,
Variety,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Labour has been plunged into gloom by heavy losses last week in local elections across England and legislative votes in Scotland and Wales.—
Jill Lawless,
Fortune,
11 May 2026
-
The high summer gloom magnified the nightmarish fairytale of it all.—
Eli Raphael,
PEOPLE,
10 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Self-pity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-pity. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
