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.
a cause or reason for pity, sorrow, or regret: What a pity you could not go!
adjective
Informal. motivated by a sense of pity or sympathy for others or for oneself: to have pity sex with a virgin; to go on a pity date with a loser.
verb (used with object),pit·ied,pit·y·ing.
to feel pity or compassion for; be sorry for; commiserate with.
verb (used without object),pit·ied,pit·y·ing.
to have compassion; feel pity.
Idioms for pity
have / take pity, to show mercy or compassion.
Origin of pity
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”); see origin at piety
SYNONYMS FOR pity
1 commiseration, compassion.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR pity ON THESAURUS.COM
synonym study for pity
1. See sympathy.
OTHER WORDS FROM pity
outpity,verb (used with object),out·pit·ied,out·pit·y·ing.un·pit·ied,adjective
A vaunted agency that was once the global gold standard of public health has, with breathtaking speed, become a target of anger, scorn and even pity.
Inside the Fall of the CDC|by James Bandler, Patricia Callahan, Sebastian Rotella and Kirsten Berg|October 15, 2020|ProPublica
Nope, though readers may occasionally see the tiniest justifiable pity-party because the backdrop of this book is about parenting a parent, which everybody knows is hard.
Learning to parent your parent|Terri Schlichenmeyer|August 21, 2020|Washington Blade
Lady Rose is also rather subdued in the premiere, which is a pity.
What Downton’s Fashion Really Means|Katie Baker|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It is not a pity party when you can stand up and say, “I am,” to be counted, reaffirmed, human.
I Was Gang Raped at a UVA Frat 30 Years Ago, and No One Did Anything|Liz Seccuro|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Africa was supposedly a place to avoid or, at best, an oddity to pity.
How I Got Addicted to Africa (and Wrote a Thriller About It)|Todd Moss|September 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It would have been easy to pity—and forget—the women that Davis played: ordinary, working class, and unromantic.
Ann B. Davis Was the Zesty Antidote to the Bradys|Emily Shire|June 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A creature deserving of pity and a medical diagnosis that will grant them a special status in society.
Surviving War Doesn’t Turn All Veterans into Victims, Sometimes it Helps Them Grow|David Morris|May 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His face was so beautiful in the moonlight that the little Swallow was filled with pity.
Children's Literature|Charles Madison Curry
It was a pity, he said, that my father would not visit Wyncote.
Hugh Wynne, Free Quaker|S. Weir Mitchell
Troth, tis pity, sir.A brauer hope of so assurd a father Did neuer comfort France.
The Fatal Dowry|Philip Massinger
Doesn't this urge you to pity, so that you will beg His Holiness for pardon, beg him to receive us?
Three Plays|Luigi Pirandello
We will leave these poor devils, in pity, to trade with others; but they must not delay us to make a pretence of earning money.
No Thoroughfare|Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins
British Dictionary definitions for pity
pity
/ (ˈpɪtɪ) /
nounpluralpities
sympathy or sorrow felt for the sufferings of another
have pity onortake pity onto have sympathy or show mercy for