pity

pit·y

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noun

Pity is a feeling of sorrow or sympathy for someone or something.

An example of pity is what might be felt by someone toward a child after seeing the child's dog get hit by a car.

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"pity." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 19 June 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Pity>.

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pity. (n.d.). Retrieved June 19th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Pity

pity

noun

pl. pit′ies

sorrow felt for another's suffering or misfortune; compassion; sympathy
the ability to feel such compassion
a cause for sorrow or regret

Origin of pity

Middle English pite from Old French pitet from Classical Latin pietas: see piety

transitive verb

intransitive verb

pit′ied, pit′y·ing

to feel pity (for)

Origin of pity

< pitythe noun or < MFr pitier < OFr piter

pity Idioms

have pity on

to show pity or compassion for

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MLA Style

"pity." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 19 June 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Pity>.

APA Style

pity. (n.d.). Retrieved June 19th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Pity

pity

noun

pl. pit·ies

Sympathy and sorrow aroused by the misfortune or suffering of another.
A matter of regret: It's a pity she can't attend the reception.

verb

pit·ied, pit·y·ing, pit·ies

verb

transitive

To feel pity for or on account of: “No, he could not believe it a bad house; not such a house as a man was to be pitied for having” ( Jane Austen ) “An office worker pitied his confinement and slipped in to give him a loaf of bread” ( Eric Scigliano )

verb

intransitive

To feel pity.

Origin of pity

Middle English pite from Old French from Latin pietās piety, compassion from pius dutiful

Related Forms:

pit′y·ing·ly
adverb

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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MLA Style

"pity." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 19 June 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Pity>.

APA Style

pity. (n.d.). Retrieved June 19th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Pity

pity

pity compassion commiseration sympathy condolence empathy

These nouns signify kindly concern aroused by the misfortune, affliction, or suffering of another. Pity often implies a feeling of sorrow that inclines one to help or to show mercy: felt pity for the outcast. Compassion denotes deep awareness of the suffering of another and the wish to relieve it: “Compassion is not weakness, and concern for the unfortunate is not socialism” (Hubert H. Humphrey). Commiseration signifies the expression of pity or sorrow: expressed their commiseration over the failure of the experiment. Sympathy denotes the act of or capacity for sharing in the sorrows or troubles of another: “They had little sympathy to spare for their unfortunate enemies” (William Hickling Prescott). Condolence is a formal, conventional expression of pity, usually to relatives upon a death: extending condolences to the bereaved family. Empathy is an identification with and understanding of another's situation, feelings, and motives: Having changed schools several times as a child, I feel empathy for the transfer students.

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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MLA Style

"pity." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 19 June 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Pity>.

APA Style

pity. (n.d.). Retrieved June 19th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Pity

Noun

(countable and uncountable, plural pities)

(uncountable) A feeling of sympathy at the misfortune or suffering of someone or something.
(countable) Something regrettable.
It's a pity you're feeling unwell because there's a party on tonight.

Verb

(third-person singular simple present pities, present participle pitying, simple past and past participle pitied)

To feel pity for (someone or something). [from 15th c.]
(now regional) To make (someone) feel pity; to provoke the sympathy or compassion of. [from 16th c.]

Interjection

Short form of what a pity.

Origin

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.

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MLA Style

"pity." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 19 June 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Pity>.

APA Style

pity. (n.d.). Retrieved June 19th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Pity

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