pity

[pit-ee]

noun

plural

pities 

1. sympathetic or kindly sorrow evoked by the suffering, distress, or misfortune of another, often leading one to give relief or aid or to show mercy.

   to feel pity for a starving child.

   Synonyms: compassion, commiseration

2. a cause or reason for pity, sorrow, or regret.

   What a pity you could not go!

adjective

1. motivated by a sense of pity or sympathy for others or for oneself.

   It seems he got the pity vote because of his personality, but his singing just wasn’t that great.

verb (used with object)

pitied, pitying 

1. to feel pity or compassion for; be sorry for; commiserate with.

verb (used without object)

pitied, pitying 

1. to have compassion; feel pity.

pity

/ ˈpɪtɪ /

noun

1. sympathy or sorrow felt for the sufferings of another

2. to have sympathy or show mercy for

3. something that causes regret or pity

4. an unfortunate chance

   what a pity you can't come

5. it is highly regrettable (that)

verb

1. (tr) to feel pity for

Other Word Forms

• outpity verb (used with object)
• unpitied adjective
• pitying adjective
• pityingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of pity¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English pite, from Old French pite, earlier pitet, from Latin pietāt- (stem of pietās “dutiful respect, sense of duty”); piety

Word History and Origins

Origin of pity¹

C13: from Old French pité, from Latin pietās duty

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. have / take pity, to show mercy or compassion.

see for one's (pity's) sake; take pity on.

Synonym Study

See sympathy .

Example Sentences

Sitting in a wheelchair, with thin, grey hair, wearing a loose T-shirt and fleece pyjama trousers, she said she did not like people feeling pity for her, but she needed money to cover the basics.

From BBC

He stress-tests our icky, grubby pity for Matthew and, beyond that, the flimsiness of modern fame culture and its fake-it-till-you-make-it inspirational platitudes.

From Los Angeles Times

After its initial battering, one critic has now taken pity on War of the Worlds, having enjoyed watching it.

From BBC

But there is more power than pity in these essays.

From Salon

There is no pity for undocumented immigrants in any of those tracks, only pride at their resilience and glee in how la migra can never truly defeat them.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• compassion 
• condolence 
• empathy 
• kindness 
• melancholy 
• mercy 
• sadness 
• sorrow 
• sympathy 
• tenderness www.thesaurus.com
• warmth