# pity

/ˈpɪti/ (US) · /pˈɪti/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/pity
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. feeling of sympathy

noun · CEFR B1

a feeling of sadness or sympathy for someone who is suffering or has bad luck.

For teachers: a feeling of sorrow and compassion caused by the suffering or misfortune of others. Uncountable in this sense.

- 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.

### 3. to feel sorry for someone

verb · CEFR B1

to feel sympathy or sadness for someone because of their situation.

For teachers: to feel compassion or sorrow for the misfortunes of another. Transitive, taking the person or situation as a direct object.

- 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.

## Examples

- I felt a great deal of pity for the lost dog.
- It is a real pity that the outdoor concert was cancelled due to the heavy rain.
- While some view his charity as a noble gesture, others argue it is rooted in a condescending sense of pity rather than a genuine desire for systemic change.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.