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
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
And Carl realizes that a new case is just the thing to pull Hardy out of his spiral of self-pity.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-pity
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
And Carl realizes that a new case is just the thing to pull Hardy out of his spiral of self-pity.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-pity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-pity
Noun
-
These movies commit to the dusty interior decoration and inherent sadness of their ghost stories, but have little feel for the profound interfamily dynamics therein.—
J. Kim Murphy,
Variety,
3 Sep. 2025
-
So many of Lee’s memories of her mother are tinged with sadness and grief.—
Joan MacDonald,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Standing with the people who’ve turned grief into organizing and created blueprints for what real protection and repair can look like is a reminder of what true justice demands.—
Melissa Jun Rowley,
Rolling Stone,
27 Aug. 2025
-
But as more people become intrigued by Mona’s effects, so does Arvy, who sees the pill as an opportunity to help with her grief.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
People.com,
27 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Anger could be enough, sorrow could be enough.—
Baz Bamigboye,
Deadline,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Its purpose is not to wallow in historical sorrow, but to illuminate how a people’s spirit was forged in the fire of injustice.—
Brad Braxton,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Lacy’s new music maintains his sly sense of humor, but with a barefaced melancholy that pushes it to new emotional depths.—
Jeff Ihaza,
Rolling Stone,
14 Aug. 2025
-
More often than not, the film’s nostalgia is sweet and enjoyable because it is paired with the melancholy that comes from all the acknowledgments of the actors from the original who died over the last 29 years.—
Jesse David Fox,
Vulture,
30 July 2025
Noun
-
Befriended by the aged proprietor of a now defunct Greek coast restaurant, the hen becomes an unwitting witness of human misery – greed, migrant trafficking, revenge upon revenge.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Task begins by setting up the parallels between Tom and Robbie, two flawed men trying to keep their heads above the water of their own miseries, cutting back and forth between their routines to emphasize their similar ideologies and spontaneities.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Even those plot points feel a bit dated, with Ivy’s ascent as a food star marked by hobnobbing with David Chang, and Theo agonizing over remixes and GIFs of his anguish.—
Katie Walsh,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Aug. 2025
-
Increasingly public arrests have led to anguish and backlash.—
Ryan Oehrli,
Charlotte Observer,
25 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Hank, having already experienced life-changing failure, is also able to absorb beatings that would destroy most people, endure the agony, and leap back into action.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
28 Aug. 2025
-
The buddy story ended in agony when it was revealed that Edwards was on the list and complicit in the ambush plot.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
28 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
This is a club that has endured more than its fair share of doom and gloom in recent times.—
Graham Ruthven,
Forbes.com,
31 Aug. 2025
-
On the floor of Orient Craft, which exports about 82% of its products to the US, gloom is settling in.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
30 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-pity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-pity. Accessed 7 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share