pity

pit·y

P0338600 (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. To feel pity.Idiom: 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.

pity

(ˈpɪtɪ) n, pl pities1. sympathy or sorrow felt for the sufferings of another2. have pity on take pity on to have sympathy or show mercy for3. something that causes regret or pity4. 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

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.

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.

Pity

of prisoners: a gang or group of prisoners—Lydgate, 1476.

Pity

pity

Past participle: pitied
Gerund: pitying

Imperative
pity
pity

Present
I pity
you pity
he/she/it pities
we pity
you pity
they pity

Preterite
I pitied
you pitied
he/she/it pitied
we pitied
you pitied
they pitied

Present Continuous
I am pitying
you are pitying
he/she/it is pitying
we are pitying
you are pitying
they are pitying

Present Perfect
I have pitied
you have pitied
he/she/it has pitied
we have pitied
you have pitied
they have pitied

Past Continuous
I was pitying
you were pitying
he/she/it was pitying
we were pitying
you were pitying
they were pitying

Past Perfect
I had pitied
you had pitied
he/she/it had pitied
we had pitied
you had pitied
they had pitied

Future
I will pity
you will pity
he/she/it will pity
we will pity
you will pity
they will pity

Future Perfect
I will have pitied
you will have pitied
he/she/it will have pitied
we will have pitied
you will have pitied
they will have pitied

Future Continuous
I will be pitying
you will be pitying
he/she/it will be pitying
we will be pitying
you will be pitying
they will be pitying

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been pitying
you have been pitying
he/she/it has been pitying
we have been pitying
you have been pitying
they have been pitying

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been pitying
you will have been pitying
he/she/it will have been pitying
we will have been pitying
you will have been pitying
they will have been pitying

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been pitying
you had been pitying
he/she/it had been pitying
we had been pitying
you had been pitying
they had been pitying

Conditional
I would pity
you would pity
he/she/it would pity
we would pity
you would pity
they would pity

Past Conditional
I would have pitied
you would have pitied
he/she/it would have pitied
we would have pitied
you would have pitied
they would have pitied

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	pity - a feeling of sympathy and sorrow for the misfortunes of others; "the blind are too often objects of pity"commiseration, pathos, ruthfellow 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"shamemisfortune, 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 itcompassionmercifulness, 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 ofcompassionate, condole with, feel for, sympathize withgrieve, sorrow - feel griefcommiserate, sympathise, sympathize - to feel or express sympathy or compassioncare - feel concern or interest; "I really care about my work"; "I don't care"

pity

noun1. 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, pitilessness2. 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.3. mercy, kindness, clemency, leniency, forbearance, quarter a killer who had no pity for his victimsverb1. 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.take pity on something or someone have mercy on, spare, forgive, pity, pardon, reprieve, show mercy to, feel compassion for, put out of your misery, relent against She took pity on him because he was homeless.

pity

noun1. Sympathetic, sad concern for someone in misfortune:commiseration, compassion, condolence, empathy, sympathy.2. A great disappointment or regrettable fact:crime, shame.Slang: bummer.Idiom: a crying shame.verbTo experience or express compassion:ache, commiserate, compassionate, feel, sympathize, yearn.Idioms: be sorry, have pity.

Translations

怜悯憾事可怜

pity

(ˈpiti) noun1. a feeling of sorrow for the troubles and sufferings of others. He felt a great pity for her.怜悯2. a cause of sorrow or regret. What a pity (that) she can't come.憾事 verb to feel pity for (someone). She pitied him; She is to be pitied.可怜piteous (ˈpitiəs) adjective pitiful. a piteous cry/sight.可怜的ˈpiteously adverb可怜地ˈpiteousness noun可怜ˈpitiable adjective pitiful. He was in a pitiable condition; He made a pitiable attempt.可怜的ˈpitiably adverb可怜地ˈpitiful adjective1. very sad; causing pity. a pitiful sight.可怜的2. very poor, bad etc; causing contempt. a pitiful attempt; a pitiful amount of money.令人可怜的ˈpitifully adverb令人可怜地ˈpitifulness noun令人可怜ˈpitiless adjective without pity. pitiless cruelty.无情的ˈpitilessly adverb无情地ˈpitilessness noun无情ˈpityingly adverb in a way which shows that one feels pity for someone. He looked at her pityingly.怜惜地have pity on to feel pity for (someone because of something). Have pity on the old man.怜悯某人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.怜悯某人

pity

→ 怜悯zhCN, 憾事zhCN

pity

drown in self-pity

To be entirely consumed by sorrow, self-deprecation, or other negative emotions to the point of self-indulgence and/or paralysis. It's hard to help someone who would rather drown in self-pity than find a solution to their problems.See also: drown

for heaven's sake

A mild oath of surprise, exasperation, annoyance, frustration, or anger. For heaven's sake! I haven't seen you in years! Would you let me finish my story, for heaven's sake? Oh for heaven's sake, I just had the car fixed and now you've put a dent in it!See also: sake

for pity's sake

A mild oath of surprise, exasperation, annoyance, frustration, or anger. For pity's sake! I haven't seen you in years! Would you let me finish my story, for pity's sake? Oh for pity's sake, I just had the car fixed and now you've put a dent in it!See also: sake

for God's sake

An oath of exasperation, annoyance, frustration, anger, or surprise. Would you let me finish my story, for God's sake? Oh for God's sake, I just had the car fixed and now you've put a dent in it! For God's sake! I haven't seen you in years!See also: sake

for Pete's sake

A mild oath of exasperation, annoyance, frustration, anger, or surprise. Would you let me finish my story, for Pete's sake? Oh for Pete's sake, I just had the car fixed and now you've put a dent in it! For Pete's sake! I haven't seen you in years!See also: sake

have pity on (one)

To act compassionately or with sympathy toward one. Please, have pity on me, I don't want to die! The three spirits taught Scrooge how to have pity on his fellow man.See also: have, on, pity

take pity on (someone or something)

To treat someone or something kindly due to feeling sympathy or compassion toward them, especially because of their misfortune or suffering. Oh, take pity on Bill—he's been sick all week. That's the only reason he's fallen behind in his work. The king took pity on the old beggar, who turned out to be a wizard.See also: on, pity, take

more's the pity

old-fashioned That is regretful and disappointing; it's a shame. A: "Looks like Aunt Leanne and her kids won't be coming tonight." B: "More's the pity, and I made all this extra food for them, too."See also: pity

For Pete's sake!

and For pity's sake!; For the love of Mike!; For goodness sake!; For gosh sake!; For heaven('s) sake!a mild exclamation of surprise or shock. For Pete's sake! How've ya been? For pity's sake! Ask the man in out of the cold!

have pity on someone (or an animal)

to have compassion toward someone or an animal. Please! Have pity on us. Let us come in!See also: have, on, pity

more's the pity

Fig. it is a great pity or shame; it is sad. (Sometimes with the.) Jack can't come, more's the pity. Jane had to leave early, more's the pity.See also: pity

take pity (on someone or an animal)

to feel sorry for someone or an animal. We took pity on the hungry people and gave them some hot food. She took pity on the little dog and brought it in to get warm.See also: pity, take

What a pity!

and What a shame!Fig. an expression of consolation meaning That's too bad. (Can also be used sarcastically.) Bill: I'm sorry to tell you that the cat died today. Mary: What a pity! Mary: The cake is ruined! Sally: What a shame!See also: what

for God's sake

Also, for goodness sake. See for the sake of, def. 3. See also: sake

for Pete's sake

Also, for pity's sake. See for the sake of, def. 3. See also: sake

for the sake of

1. Also for one's sake. Out of consideration or regard for a person or thing; for someone's or something's advantage or good. For example, For Jill's sake we did not serve meat, or We have to stop fighting for the sake of family unity. [Early 1200s] 2. For the purpose or motive of, as in You like to quarrel only for the sake of an argument. [Early 1200s] 3. for God's sake. Also for goodness or heaven's or Pete's or pity's sake . An exclamation showing surprise, impatience, anger, or some other emotion, depending on the context. For example, For God's sake, I didn't expect to see you here, or Hurry up, for goodness sake, or For heaven's sake, how can you say such a mean thing? or For pity's sake, finish your dinner. The variants are euphemisms for God. [c. 1300] For a synonym, see for the love of, def. 2. See also: of, sake

take pity on

Also, have pity on. Show compassion or mercy to, as in Take pity on the cook and eat that last piece of cake, or, as Miles Coverdale's 1535 translation of the Bible has it (Job 19:21), "Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye, my friends." This idiom may be used half-jokingly, as in the first example, or seriously. [Late 1200s] See also: on, pity, take

more's the pity

If you add more's the pity to a comment, you are expressing your disappointment or regret about something. My world isn't your world, more's the pity. We've always lacked a written constitution, more's the pity.See also: pity

more's the pity

used to express regret about a fact that has just been stated. informal 1994 Amstrad Action The full version of this game never got released. More's the pity, as if the demo's anything to go by, it would have been a stormer. See also: pity

for ˌPete’s ˈsake

(British English) used to emphasize that it is important to do something, or when you are annoyed or impatient about something: For Pete’s sake, what are you doing in that bathroom? You’ve been in there for nearly an hour.See also: sake

ˌmore’s the ˈpity

(British English, informal) unfortunately: He can’t read and he doesn’t want to learn, more’s the pity.See also: pity

for God’s, heaven’s, pity’s, etc. ˈsake

used to emphasize that it is important to do something; used to show that you are annoyed about something: For God’s sake try and control yourself! ♢ Do be careful, for goodness’ sake. ♢ Oh, for heaven’s sake!(Some people find the use of God here offensive.)See also: sake

For Pete’s sake!

and For pity’s sake! and For the love of Mike! exclam. Good grief! For Pete’s sake! Is that you Charlie? For pity’s sake! Ask the man in out of the cold!

For pity’s sake!

verbSee For Pete’s sake!

for heaven's/Pete's/pity's sake

An expression of surprise, emphasis, exasperation, outrage, and so forth. These all are euphemisms for “for God’s sake,” which in some circles is considered blasphemous. “For heaven’s sake” dates at least from the nineteenth century. “For Pete’s sake” appeared in Dialect Notes in 1924. “For pity’s sake” dates from the sixteenth century; Michael Drayton used it in one of his Idea sonnets of 1593: “Rebate thy spleen, if but for pities sake!” See also for the love of Mike/Pete/God.See also: sake

pity

pit·y

pity

pit•y

pity

Pity

Pity

pity

pity

pity

pity

pity

pity

drown in self-pity

for heaven's sake

for pity's sake

for God's sake

for Pete's sake

have pity on (one)

take pity on (someone or something)

more's the pity

For Pete's sake!

have pity on someone (or an animal)

more's the pity

take pity (on someone or an animal)

What a pity!

for God's sake

for Pete's sake

for the sake of

take pity on

more's the pity

more's the pity

for ˌPete’s ˈsake

ˌmore’s the ˈpity

for God’s, heaven’s, pity’s, etc. ˈsake

For Pete’s sake!

For pity’s sake!

for heaven's/Pete's/pity's sake

pity

Synonyms for pity

noun compassion

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noun shame

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noun mercy

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verb feel sorry for

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phrase take pity on something or someone

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Synonyms for pity

noun sympathetic, sad concern for someone in misfortune

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noun a great disappointment or regrettable fact

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verb to experience or express compassion

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Synonyms for pity

noun a feeling of sympathy and sorrow for the misfortunes of others

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noun an unfortunate development

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noun the humane quality of understanding the suffering of others and wanting to do something about it

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verb share the suffering of

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