pity
Sorrow for another
Pity is sympathetic sorrow for someone's suffering or misfortune: I felt pity for the homeless man.
It can shade into condescension—pity implies looking down at someone's situation.
What a pity expresses mild regret about circumstances.
To pity someone is to feel sorry for them.
For pity's sake is an exclamation of exasperation.
The plural pities is rare; the feeling is usually uncountable.
Compassionate understanding of others
- empathySharing another's emotions
- commiserationPity expressed for suffering
- concernTroubled interest in something
- understandingMental comprehension of something
tenderness · kindness · caring · consolation · solace · warmth · sensitivity · humaneness
Treating someone as inferior
- disdainScornful disregard
- superiorityHigher rank or quality
- contemptDisdainful disregard
- scornHostile dismissive feeling
sneering · dismissive · belittlement · derision · haughtiness · snobbery · arrogance · superciliousness
Painful awareness of failure
- unfortunateDeserving of pity
- sadEmotionally low
- tragicCausing great sorrow
- wasteUnwanted discarded material
lamentable · disappointing · sorrowful · rueful · alas · woeful · regrettable · deplorable
Mildness in punishment
- clemencyMerciful treatment of offenders
- forgivenessReleasing resentment toward offenders
- graceEffortless beauty of motion
- forbearancePatient self-control, delayed enforcement
reprieve · pardon · sparing · compassionate · quarter · indulgence · soft-heartedness · magnanimity
Indulging without restraint
- victimhoodState of being wronged
- mopingBrooding in dejection
- martyrdomSuffering for conviction
- broodingAnxiously dwelling on something
sulking · self-indulgent · morose · despondent · dejected
sympathy
Compassionate understanding of others
- empathySharing another's emotions
- commiserationPity expressed for suffering
- concernTroubled interest in something
understanding · tenderness · kindness · caring · consolation · solace · warmth · sensitivity · humaneness · soft-heartedness
patronizing
Treating someone as inferior
- disdainScornful disregard
- superiorityHigher rank or quality
- contemptDisdainful disregard
scorn · sneering · dismissive · belittlement · derision · haughtiness · snobbery · arrogance · superciliousness · condescending
shame
Painful awareness of failure
- unfortunateDeserving of pity
- sadEmotionally low
- tragicCausing great sorrow
waste · lamentable · disappointing · sorrowful · rueful · alas · woeful · regrettable · deplorable · pathetic
leniency
Mildness in punishment
- clemencyMerciful treatment of offenders
- forgivenessReleasing resentment toward offenders
- graceEffortless beauty of motion
forbearance · reprieve · pardon · sparing · compassionate · quarter · indulgence · soft-heartedness · magnanimity · absolution
wallowing
Indulging without restraint
- victimhoodState of being wronged
- mopingBrooding in dejection
- martyrdomSuffering for conviction
brooding · sulking · self-indulgent · morose · despondent · dejected
- compassionsympathy, empathy, caring, kindness, tenderness
- emotions in fictionlove, fear, anger, grief, joy
- empathyempathy, sympathy, compassion, kindness, understanding
- have a heartplease, mercy, have mercy, show mercy, spare me
- mercyclemency, compassion, forgiveness, leniency, lenience
- social feelingsadmiration, affection, animosity, antipathy, contempt
pityschadenfreude
Delight in others' misfortune
cruelty · sadism · indifference · malice · callousness
pitymercilessness
Absence of compassion or clemency
cruelty · harshness · severity · brutality · ruthlessness
- take pityShow merciful compassion
- pity partySelf-indulgent moping episode
- what a pity
- self pitySorrow over one's condition
- pity partiesEpisodes of excessive self-commiseration
- for pity's sakeExasperated plea for compassion
pitiful, pitying, pitiless, pities, pitied, pitiable, piteous, pitifully, pitilessly