pity

pity — noun

1. a situation that makes you feel a small, regretful disappointment — used to comm

1.nounA2
Definition

a situation that makes you feel a small, regretful disappointment — used to comment that something didn't work out the way you hoped, often in the fixed phrases 'what a pity' or 'a pity that…'.

Example

What a pity that the museum closes early on Sundays.

what a pity that + clause (regret about a fact)

It's a pity you can't come to Lina's wedding next month.

it's a pity (that) + clause

Common collocations
  • what a pity
  • it's a pity
  • such a pity
  • a real pity
  • a great pity
Synonyms
  • shame

    almost identical in this use ('what a shame'); slightly more informal

  • misfortune

    more formal, suggests bigger bad luck rather than mild regret

Antonyms
  • blessing

    a fortunate situation, the opposite kind of comment

Grammar Patterns

a pity (that)…

a pity to do something

what a pity

such a pity

Usage Note

Always preceded by 'a' (singular) and used in light, everyday regret — not for serious sorrow. Very common in British English speech as a mild expression of sympathy or disappointment. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense labels a SITUATION as regrettable, while sense 2 names a feeling you have toward a PERSON.

Common Mistakes

It's pity you can't come.
It's a pity you can't come.
always include 'a' before 'pity' in this sense.
What a pity for your grandmother's death.
I'm so sorry to hear about your grandmother.
'a pity' is too light for serious loss; use 'sorry' or 'sad news'.

2. the gentle, sad emotion you feel when you see that another person is suffering,

2.nounB2
Definition

the gentle, sad emotion you feel when you see that another person is suffering, struggling, or going through something painful, and you wish their situation were better.

Example

Maya felt a wave of pity for the stray dog shivering outside the supermarket.

pity for + noun (target of the feeling)

Nurse Patel looked at the small boy in the burn ward with pity in her eyes.

with pity in [body part] (visible feeling)

Common collocations
  • feel pity
  • show pity
  • without pity
  • out of pity
  • a wave of pity
Synonyms
  • sympathy

    warmer and more respectful; doesn't carry the slight superiority that 'pity' can imply

  • compassion

    stronger, more active feeling that usually moves you to help

  • sorrow

    deeper sadness, often for a death or major loss rather than ongoing hardship

Antonyms
  • indifference

    complete lack of feeling either way

  • cruelty

    active wish to cause suffering, the opposite reaction

Grammar Patterns

pity for somebody

feel pity

Usage Note

Often carries a slight edge of looking down on the suffering person — many people prefer to receive 'sympathy' or 'understanding' rather than 'pity'. Distinguish from sense 3 (compassion that drives action): this sense names the felt emotion itself, not the helping behaviour it leads to.

Common Mistakes

I have a pity on him.
I feel pity for him.
'pity' here is uncountable; use 'feel pity for', not 'have a pity on'.
She told me her story with much pity.' (when meaning she was sad about her own situation)
She told me her story with much sadness.
you feel pity FOR others, not about your own life.

3. the kind, soft feeling for someone in trouble that actually pushes you to help t

3.nounC1
Definition

the kind, soft feeling for someone in trouble that actually pushes you to help them or to treat them more gently than you otherwise would — for example, giving a tired stranger a place to sleep, or letting off a child who has misbehaved.

Example

The farmer took pity on the lost hikers and drove them back to the village.

take pity on + person (act on the feeling)

Have pity on poor Marcus — he has been carrying these heavy boxes up the stairs for an hour.

have pity on + person (formal appeal)

Common collocations
  • take pity on
  • have pity on
  • show pity
  • out of pity
  • full of pity
Synonyms
  • mercy

    stronger; usually used when someone has power to punish but chooses not to

  • compassion

    warmer and more respectful; broader than pity, can apply to groups or situations

  • clemency

    formal/legal; mercy shown by an authority in punishment

Antonyms
  • ruthlessness

    willingness to act without any softening kindness

Grammar Patterns

take pity on somebody

have pity on somebody

Usage Note

Often appears in fixed expressions 'take pity on' and 'have pity on'. Subject is usually a person who has the power to help or punish. Distinguish from sense 2: sense 3 emphasises the resulting kind action, while sense 2 stops at the feeling.

Common Mistakes

She took pity to the homeless man.
She took pity on the homeless man.
the preposition is always 'on', never 'to' or 'for'.
The teacher had pity at the tired children.
The teacher had pity on the tired children.
same rule: 'have/take pity ON someone'.
Idioms

for pity's sake

idiom

an emotional way of begging someone to do or stop doing something, when you are very frustrated or upset.

For pity's sake, Marcus, turn that loud music down — the baby is trying to sleep!

Will somebody, for pity's sake, open a window before we all faint in this heat?

more's the pity

idiom

added at the end of a comment to stress that the speaker thinks the situation is regrettable.

Lina won't be at the reunion this year, more's the pity.

The little bakery on Third Street has closed down, more's the pity.

more’s the pity

idiom

This phrase is used to express that something is unfortunate or regrettable.

Sara missed the concert, and more's the pity.

More's the pity, the old library closed last month.

pity — verb

Word family

  • pities
    verbC2
  • pitied
    verbC2
  • pitying
    verbC2
  • pitiful
    adjectiveC1
  • pitifully
    adverbC1
  • pitiable
    adjectiveC2
  • pitiless
    adjectiveC2
  • piteous
    adjectiveC2
  • piety
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

These four words all describe a caring response to another person's suffering, but they differ in warmth and where the feeling sits. 'Pity' is the saddest and the most distant — you look at the suffering person from outside and feel sorry for them, which is why many people dislike receiving it. 'Sympathy' is warmer and more respectful: you share the feeling without standing above it, as in 'You have my sympathy'. 'Compassion' is stronger and more active; it usually moves you to help, so it pairs naturally with action verbs like 'show compassion' or 'act with compassion'. 'Empathy', the most modern of the four, means actually imagining yourself in the other person's place and feeling what they feel. Compare: 'I feel pity for refugees' (sad about them), 'I have sympathy for refugees' (I share their hurt), 'I feel compassion for refugees' (I want to help), 'I have empathy for refugees' (I can imagine being one).

pity ↗sympathy ↗compassion ↗empathy ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • wave of pity
  • look of pity
  • feeling of pity
  • sense of pity

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

  • for (somebody)
  • on (somebody)
  • out of (pity)
  • without (pity)

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishModern English

'Pity' came into English in the 1200s from Old French 'pite' or 'pitet', meaning mercy or compassion, which itself grew from Latin 'pietas'. In Latin, 'pietas' covered a wide bundle of feelings — duty toward family, devotion to the gods, and tender feeling for people in need. Over the centuries, English split the meaning in two: 'piety' kept the religious-devotion side, while 'pity' kept the compassion-for-suffering side. The lighter use seen in 'what a pity' (a small regret about a situation) developed later, by the 1500s.