pity
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Related to pity: pity party
pit·y
(pĭt′ē)n. pl. pit·ies
1. Sympathy and sorrow aroused by the misfortune or suffering of another.
2. A matter of regret: It's a pity she can't attend the reception.
v. pit·ied, pit·y·ing, pit·ies
v.tr.
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).
v.intr.
Idiom: To feel pity.
have/take pity on
To show compassion for.
[Middle English pite, from Old French, from Latin pietās, piety, compassion, from pius, dutiful.]
pit′y·ing·ly adv.
Synonyms: pity, compassion, sympathy, empathy, commiseration, condolence
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. The word usually suggests that the person feeling pity is better off or in a superior position to the person who is the object of pity: "Going with her mother everywhere, she saw what Althea did not: how the other women invited her out of pity" (Kate Wheeler).
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).
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).
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. Commiseration often entails the expression of pity or sorrow: expressed their commiseration over the failure of the experiment. Condolence is formal, conventional sympathy, usually toward a person who has experienced the loss of a loved one: sent a letter of condolence to the bereaved family.
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. The word usually suggests that the person feeling pity is better off or in a superior position to the person who is the object of pity: "Going with her mother everywhere, she saw what Althea did not: how the other women invited her out of pity" (Kate Wheeler).
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).
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).
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. Commiseration often entails the expression of pity or sorrow: expressed their commiseration over the failure of the experiment. Condolence is formal, conventional sympathy, usually toward a person who has experienced the loss of a loved one: sent a letter of condolence to the bereaved family.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
pity
(ˈpɪtɪ)n, pl pities
1. sympathy or sorrow felt for the sufferings of another
2. have pity on take pity on 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. more's the pity it is highly regrettable (that)
vb, pities, pitying or pitied
(tr) to feel pity for
[C13: from Old French pité, from Latin pietās duty]
ˈpitying adj
ˈpityingly adv
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
pit•y
(ˈpɪt i)n., pl. pit•ies, n.
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.
2. a cause or reason for pity, sorrow, or regret: What a pity you couldn't go!
v.t. 3. to feel pity or compassion for; be sorry for; commiserate with.
v.i. 4. to have compassion; feel pity.
Idioms: have or take pity, to have compassion or show mercy.
[1175–1225; Middle English pite < Old French pite, earlier pitet < Latin pietātem, acc. of pietās piety]
pit′y•ing•ly, adv.
syn: See sympathy.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
pity
- alms - Goes back to Greek eleemosune, "compassion, pity," and eleos, "mercy."
- bemoan, lament - Bemoaning is motivated when pity or grief is over an event that is joined to a consequence, whereas lamenting is motivated when the grief is over the event itself.
- pity, piety - Pity and piety shared the meanings "compassion" and "dutifulness, reverence" for a while.
- ruth, ruthless, ruthful - Ruth, meaning "compassion, pity," is part of ruthless and ruthful.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
Pity
of prisoners: a gang or group of prisoners—Lydgate, 1476.Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
Pity
See Also: KINDNESS
- As fire drives out fire, so pity [drives out] pity —William Shakespeare
- Collected sympathy like a street singer catching coins in a hat —Josephine Tey
- Felt a positive gush of pity … like the rising of a warm fountain —Rebecca West
- Felt the dull old nagging pull of other people’s trouble, like a toothache you can’t leave alone —Ross Macdonald
- Pity … green as grain —E. E. Cummings
- Ready sympathy that can be tapped like a vat —Sharon Sheehe Stark
- Wanting pity like a cat wants the mange —John Farris
- Wiped the pity away like cold sweat —James Crumley
Similes Dictionary, 1st Edition. © 1988 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
pity
Past participle: pitied
Gerund: pitying
| Imperative |
|---|
| pity |
| pity |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  pity - a feeling of sympathy and sorrow for the misfortunes of others; "the blind are too often objects of pity"fellow feeling, sympathy - sharing the feelings of others (especially feelings of sorrow or anguish) |
| 2. | pity - an unfortunate development; "it's a pity he couldn't do it" misfortune, bad luck - unnecessary and unforeseen trouble resulting from an unfortunate event | |
| 3. | pity - the humane quality of understanding the suffering of others and wanting to do something about it mercifulness, mercy - a disposition to be kind and forgiving; "in those days a wife had to depend on the mercifulness of her husband" | |
| Verb | 1. | pity - share the suffering of care - feel concern or interest; "I really care about my work"; "I don't care" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
pity
noun
1. compassion, understanding, charity, sympathy, distress, sadness, sorrow, kindness, tenderness, condolence, commiseration, fellow feeling He felt a sudden tender pity for her.
compassion anger, fury, cruelty, indifference, brutality, scorn, wrath, severity, disdain, apathy, ruthlessness, inhumanity, unconcern, hard-heartedness, mercilessness, pitilessness
compassion anger, fury, cruelty, indifference, brutality, scorn, wrath, severity, disdain, apathy, ruthlessness, inhumanity, unconcern, hard-heartedness, mercilessness, pitilessness
2. shame, crime (informal), sin (informal), misfortune, bad luck, sad thing, bummer (slang), crying shame, source of regret It's a pity you couldn't come.
verb
1. feel sorry for, feel for, sympathize with, grieve for, weep for, take pity on, empathize with, bleed for, commiserate with, have compassion for, condole with I don't know whether to hate him or pity him.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
pity
noun1. Sympathetic, sad concern for someone in misfortune:
To experience or express compassion:
Idioms: be sorry, have pity.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
حَنانخَسارَه، أسَفشَفَقَهيَشْفَق علىيُشْفِقُ عَلى
lítostlitovatškodamít soucit
medlidenhedskamhave medlidenhed medhave ondt af
säälisääliä
לרחם
sažaljenježaliti
könyörületmegsajnálszánalom
samúîsynd, skaîivorkenna
哀れみ哀れむ
동정불쌍히 여기다
apgailėtina būklėgailiaigailumasgailusnegailestingumas
just līdzlīdzjūtībanožēlojams gadījums/faktsžēlotžēlums
pomilovatisočutjeusmiliti se
medlidandetycka synd om
ความสงสารสงสาร
lòng thươngthương hại
pity
[ˈpɪtɪ]A. N
1. → piedad f, compasión f
to feel (no) pity for sb → (no) sentir compasión por algn
have pity on us → ten piedad de nosotros
to move sb to pity → mover a algn a compasión, dar lástima a algn
I did it out of pity for him → se lo hice por compasión
for pity's sake! → ¡por piedad!; (less seriously) → ¡por el amor de Dios!
to take pity on sb → compadecerse or apiadarse de algn
to feel (no) pity for sb → (no) sentir compasión por algn
have pity on us → ten piedad de nosotros
to move sb to pity → mover a algn a compasión, dar lástima a algn
I did it out of pity for him → se lo hice por compasión
for pity's sake! → ¡por piedad!; (less seriously) → ¡por el amor de Dios!
to take pity on sb → compadecerse or apiadarse de algn
2. (= cause of regret) → lástima f, pena f
what a pity! → ¡qué lástima!, ¡qué pena!
what a pity he didn't see it → ¡qué pena que no lo viera!
more's the pity → desgraciadamente, pero ¿qué le vamos a hacer?
it is a pity that → es una lástima que + subjun, es una pena que + subjun
it is a pity that you can't come → es una lástima or una pena que no puedas venir
the pity of it was that → lo lamentable fue que ..., lo peor del caso fue que ...
it is a thousand pities that → es muy de lamentar que + subjun
what a pity! → ¡qué lástima!, ¡qué pena!
what a pity he didn't see it → ¡qué pena que no lo viera!
more's the pity → desgraciadamente, pero ¿qué le vamos a hacer?
it is a pity that → es una lástima que + subjun, es una pena que + subjun
it is a pity that you can't come → es una lástima or una pena que no puedas venir
the pity of it was that → lo lamentable fue que ..., lo peor del caso fue que ...
it is a thousand pities that → es muy de lamentar que + subjun
B. VT → compadecer(se de), tener lástima a
I think he is more to be pitied than feared → yo creo que da más lástima que miedo
I don't want you to pity me → no quiero que me tengas lástima
I pity you when she finds out! → ¡pobre de ti cuando se entere!
I think he is more to be pitied than feared → yo creo que da más lástima que miedo
I don't want you to pity me → no quiero que me tengas lástima
I pity you when she finds out! → ¡pobre de ti cuando se entere!
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
pity
[ˈpɪti] n
(= compassion) → pitié f
to feel pity for sb → ressentir de la pitié pour qn
to have pity on sb → avoir pitié de qn
to take pity on sb → prendre pitié de qn
for pity's sake → au nom du ciel
to feel pity for sb → ressentir de la pitié pour qn
to have pity on sb → avoir pitié de qn
to take pity on sb → prendre pitié de qn
for pity's sake → au nom du ciel
(= shame) it's a pity (that) → c'est dommage que
It's a pity that you can't come → C'est dommage que vous ne puissiez pas venir.
It's a pity you didn't phone us earlier → C'est dommage que vous ne nous ayez pas téléphoné plus tôt.
what a pity! → quel dommage!
What a pity that you never got to meet him → Quel dommage que vous n'ayez jamais pu le rencontrer.
more's the pity → c'est bien dommage
It's a pity that you can't come → C'est dommage que vous ne puissiez pas venir.
It's a pity you didn't phone us earlier → C'est dommage que vous ne nous ayez pas téléphoné plus tôt.
what a pity! → quel dommage!
What a pity that you never got to meet him → Quel dommage que vous n'ayez jamais pu le rencontrer.
more's the pity → c'est bien dommage
vt → plaindre
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
pity
n
→ Mitleid nt, → Mitgefühl nt, → Erbarmen nt; for pity’s sake! → Erbarmen!; (less seriously) → um Himmels willen!; to have or take pity on somebody, to feel pity for somebody → mit jdm Mitleid haben; but the king took pity on him and spared his life → aber der König hatte Erbarmen mit ihm und schonte sein Leben; have you no pity? → hast du kein Mitleid?; to do something out of pity (for somebody) → etw aus Mitleid (mit jdm) tun; to feel no pity → kein Mitgefühl etc haben, kein Mitleid fühlen; to move somebody to pity → jds Mitleid (acc) → erregen
(= cause of regret) (what a) pity! → (wie) schade!; what a pity he can’t come → (wie) schade, dass er nicht kommen kann; it’s a pity about the lack of tickets → es ist schade, dass es nicht genug Eintrittskarten gibt; more’s the pity! → leider; and I won’t be able to attend, more’s the pity → und ich kann leider nicht teilnehmen; it is a pity that … → es ist schade, dass …; the pity of it was that … → das Traurige daran war, dass …; it’s a great pity → es ist sehr schade, es ist jammerschade; (more formally) → es ist sehr bedauerlich; it would be a pity if he lost or were to lose this job → es wäre bedauerlich, wenn er seine Arbeit verlieren sollte; it would be a pity to waste this opportunity → es wäre bedauerlich, diese Gelegenheit ungenutzt verstreichen zu lassen
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
pity
[ˈpɪtɪ]1. n
a. → compassione f, pietà
to feel pity for sb → provare compassione per qn
for pity's sake! → per amor del cielo! (pleading) → per pietà!
to have or take pity on sb → aver pietà di qn
to feel pity for sb → provare compassione per qn
for pity's sake! → per amor del cielo! (pleading) → per pietà!
to have or take pity on sb → aver pietà di qn
b. (cause of regret) → peccato
what a pity! → che peccato!
more's the pity → purtroppo
it is a pity that you can't come → è un peccato che tu non possa venire
what a pity! → che peccato!
more's the pity → purtroppo
it is a pity that you can't come → è un peccato che tu non possa venire
2. vt → compatire, commiserare
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
pity
(ˈpiti) noun1. a feeling of sorrow for the troubles and sufferings of others. He felt a great pity for her.
2. a cause of sorrow or regret. What a pity (that) she can't come.
verb to feel pity for (someone). She pitied him; She is to be pitied.
piteous (ˈpitiəs) adjective pitiful. a piteous cry/sight.
ˈpiteously adverbˈpiteousness noun
ˈpitiable adjective
pitiful. He was in a pitiable condition; He made a pitiable attempt.
ˈpitiably adverbˈpitiful adjective
1. very sad; causing pity. a pitiful sight.
2. very poor, bad etc; causing contempt. a pitiful attempt; a pitiful amount of money.
ˈpitifully adverbˈpitifulness noun
ˈpitiless adjective
without pity. pitiless cruelty.
ˈpitilessly adverbˈpitilessness noun
ˈpityingly adverb
in a way which shows that one feels pity for someone. He looked at her pityingly.
have pity on to feel pity for (someone because of something). Have pity on the old man.
take pity on to act kindly, or relent, towards (someone), from a feeling of pity. He took pity on the hungry children and gave them food.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
pity
→ حَنان, يُشْفِقُ عَلى lítost, litovat have ondt af, medlidenhed bemitleiden, Mitleid συμπόνοια, συμπονώ compadecer, lástima sääli, sääliä avoir pitié de, pitié sažaljenje, žaliti avere pietà, pietà 哀れみ, 哀れむ 동정, 불쌍히 여기다 medelijden, medelijden hebben medlidenhet, synes synd på litość, pożałować compaixão, ter pena жалеть, жалость medlidande, tycka synd om ความสงสาร, สงสาร acıma, acımak lòng thương, thương hại 怜悯, 憾事Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
pity
n. lástima, compasión;
what a ___ ! → ¡qué ___ !
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012