noun
pity
PIHT-ee
noun
1
A feeling of sorrow or sympathy for someone else's suffering.
"She felt a deep pity for the stray dog shivering in the rain."
"He showed no pity for the men who had cheated him."
2
A regrettable or disappointing fact.
"It's a pity you can't stay for dinner."
verb
1
To feel sorrow or sympathy for someone.
"I pity anyone who has to work with him."
"She pitied the new employee, thrown in at the deep end on day one."
How to Use Pity
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishFeeling sorry for someone, or a sad, disappointing situation ("what a pity").
Common mistake
"Pity" (feeling sorry for someone, sometimes with a hint of looking down on them) is close to but not identical to "sympathy" or "compassion," which carry less condescension.
Common pairings
feel pity for
take pity on
what a pity
out of pity
Word Forms
pitied past tense, pities plural, pities singular
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She felt a deep _____ for the stray dog shivering in the rain.
Etymology
From Old French pité, itself from Latin pietas ("dutifulness, piety") — pity and piety are historical twins from the same Latin root.