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
The question felt more confrontational than self-pitying.
—
Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 21 July 2025
Pixar has never hesitated to show childhood tumult before, or to explore the feelings that might lead someone to act out, but Elio’s combination of mourning and self-pity are a genuine challenge.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 17 June 2025
Weinstein had a self-pitying and widely covered jailhouse conversation with right-wing commentator Candace Owens in March.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 12 June 2025
The work of avoiding such ignominious history and getting this turned around is Warren Schaeffer’s to do, and the former Yard Goats skipper is not giving despair or self-pity the time of day.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 31 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-pity
Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 21 July 2025
Pixar has never hesitated to show childhood tumult before, or to explore the feelings that might lead someone to act out, but Elio’s combination of mourning and self-pity are a genuine challenge.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 17 June 2025
Weinstein had a self-pitying and widely covered jailhouse conversation with right-wing commentator Candace Owens in March.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 12 June 2025
The work of avoiding such ignominious history and getting this turned around is Warren Schaeffer’s to do, and the former Yard Goats skipper is not giving despair or self-pity the time of day.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 31 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-pity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-pity
Noun
-
Common signs include persistent sadness, low energy, poor concentration, loss of interest in activities, changes in appetite or weight, and feelings of guilt or worthlessness.—
Brandon Peters,
Verywell Health,
29 Oct. 2025
-
My impression of her first version of that song was also sadness being depicted as sadness.—
Billboard Japan,
Billboard,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Added to the trauma of grief and sudden eviction under threat of reprisal, Adelaida has to endure seeing the sacred mementos of her mother’s life trashed by the thuggish new squatters.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
31 Oct. 2025
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The Blackcoat's Daughter (2015) Moody and intricate (sometimes maddeningly so), this debut from Oz Perkins (son of Psycho star Anthony) inflicts supernatural horror and grief upon the students of a Catholic boarding school.—
Dennis Perkins,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Joy, love, and meaningful connections remain possible beyond the sorrow, stigma, and isolation that often accompany a diagnosis.—
Essence,
Essence,
21 Oct. 2025
-
This grim reality evokes a sense of sorrow and powerlessness among women in Paina Bujurg.—
Aishwarya S. Iyer,
CNN Money,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Coppola and production designer Ziering will explore their creative partnership, the aesthetic and emotional storytelling that defines Coppola’s visual universe — from the suburban melancholy of Palo Alto to the luminous complexity of The Last Showgirl.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
29 Oct. 2025
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Full of dread and melancholy, the Austrian import flips the creepy-kid script a bit by centering on two boys (Elias and Lukas Schwarz) who wonder whether their mom (Susanne Wuest), whose head is wrapped in bandages after facial surgery, is actually their mom. 38.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Springsteen grew up alongside rock’n’roll, absorbing its origin story and waiting for the day when his ability to write a killer riff would transport him from the misery of living with a father who didn’t understand him, shut off from a world that promised so much but gave so little.—
Sadie Sartini Garner,
Pitchfork,
24 Oct. 2025
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Whether the Monster is part of Ana’s imagination or not, the scene carries a fragile, haunting power, suggesting that the only person capable of rescuing Ana from the pervasive mystery and misery of her home life belongs to the supernatural, outside the punishing borders of Franco’s Spain.—
Rory Doherty,
Vulture,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The towering performance has generated major Oscar buzz since the film’s premiere at Telluride, where audiences were visibly shaken — and deeply moved — by Buckley’s portrayal of a mother’s anguish.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
31 Oct. 2025
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The lawsuit, filed by Morgan & Morgan, says the woman lost consciousness and suffered permanent bodily injury, mental anguish, and more in the incident on the Mako coaster on March 24.—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The three women waited in agony for Randolph to get home, but the suffering only got worse.—
Kaycee Sloan,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
30 Oct. 2025
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This approaching wall of agony might understandably have stressed out Šobat.—
Sean Williams,
Outside,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
In the season four premiere of Mayor of Kingstown, co-creators/writers Hugh Dillon and Taylor Sheridan waste no time smacking viewers with a sense of doom and gloom.—
Demetrius Patterson,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Oct. 2025
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The search for solutions Not all is doom and gloom.—
Omar S Mahmood,
Time,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-pity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-pity. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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