Word
pity
US/ˈpɪti/
UK/pˈɪti/
Definitions
01feeling of sympathy
B1 · Intermediate Uncountable noun
n. a feeling of sadness or sympathy for someone who is suffering or has bad luck.
n. a feeling of sorrow and compassion caused by the suffering or misfortune of others. Uncountable in this sense.
日本語:同情※
“I felt a great sense of pity for the people who lost their homes in the storm.”
“The witness spoke with genuine pity for the victims, describing the hardships they endured during the long winter of the occupation.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
02to feel sorry for someone
B1 · Intermediate
v. to feel sympathy or sadness for someone because of their situation.
v. to feel compassion or sorrow for the misfortunes of another. Transitive, taking the person or situation as a direct object.
日本語:同情する※
“You should not pity him; he is a very strong person who can handle this.”
“The public began to pity the fallen politician, whose personal tragedies seemed to outweigh his professional failures in the eyes of the voters.”
Synonyms
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “pity” in context.
Verb
01. deserve pity
“He has made many mistakes, but his current situation still deserves pity.”
verb + noun
02. feel pity for the victims
“It was impossible not to feel pity for the victims of the earthquake.”
verb + noun + prep + noun
03. take pity on the stray dog
“We decided to take pity on the stray dog and gave it some food and water.”
verb + noun + prep + noun
Adjective
04. great pity
“It is a great pity that you couldn't join us for the celebration last night.”
adj + noun
05. terrible pity
“It's a terrible pity that the historic theater had to be demolished.”
adj + noun
Noun
06. sense of pity
“A sudden sense of pity washed over her as she watched the old man struggle.”
noun + of + noun
Preposition
07. out of pity
“She only stayed with him out of pity, not because she still loved him.”
prep + noun
Real-World Examples
“Had it not been for a security guard who pitied me, I would have lost my flight home and had to buy a new one at holiday prices.” Etymology
From Middle English pitye, pitie, pittye, pitee, pite, from Anglo-Norman pité, pittee etc., from Old French pitet, pitié, from Latin pietās. See also the doublets pietà and piety.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Related words
Idioms
01. more's the pity
02. pity fuck
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B2 · Upper IntermediateOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/pity
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0