PITY Synonyms: 82 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the noun 'pity' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of pity are commiseration , compassion , condolence , and sympathy . While all these words mean "the act or capacity for sharing the painful feelings of another," pity implies tender or sometimes slightly contemptuous sorrow for one in misery or distress. // felt pity for the captives

Q: When is it sensible to use 'commiseration' instead of 'pity'?

The words commiseration and pity can be used in similar contexts, but commiseration suggests pity expressed outwardly in exclamations, tears, or words of comfort. // murmurs of commiseration filled the loser's headquarters

Q: When can 'compassion' be used instead of 'pity'?

While in some cases nearly identical to pity , compassion implies pity coupled with an urgent desire to aid or to spare. // treats the homeless with great compassion

Q: When might 'condolence' be a better fit than 'pity'?

The synonyms condolence and pity are sometimes interchangeable, but condolence applies chiefly to formal expression of grief to one who has suffered loss. // expressed their condolences to the widow

Q: When could 'sympathy' be used to replace 'pity'?

In some situations, the words sympathy and pity are roughly equivalent. However, sympathy often suggests a tender concern but can also imply a power to enter into another's emotional experience of any sort. // went to my best friend for sympathy // in sympathy with her desire to locate her natural parents

pity 1 of 2

noun

ˈpi-tē

Definition of pity next

as in shame

a regrettable or blameworthy act it's a pity the woodchuck ate all the flowers after you put so much effort into the garden

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in sympathy

the capacity for feeling for another's unhappiness or misfortune a woman of boundless pity who tried to care for every abandoned animal she found

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

pity

2 of 2

verb

as in to love

to have sympathy for I always pity the people who have to work in this freezing weather

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun pity contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of pity are commiseration, compassion, condolence, and sympathy. While all these words mean "the act or capacity for sharing the painful feelings of another," pity implies tender or sometimes slightly contemptuous sorrow for one in misery or distress.

felt pity for the captives

When is it sensible to use commiseration instead of pity?

The words commiseration and pity can be used in similar contexts, but commiseration suggests pity expressed outwardly in exclamations, tears, or words of comfort.

murmurs of commiseration filled the loser's headquarters

When can compassion be used instead of pity?

While in some cases nearly identical to pity, compassion implies pity coupled with an urgent desire to aid or to spare.

treats the homeless with great compassion

When might condolence be a better fit than pity?

The synonyms condolence and pity are sometimes interchangeable, but condolence applies chiefly to formal expression of grief to one who has suffered loss.

expressed their condolences to the widow

When could sympathy be used to replace pity?

In some situations, the words sympathy and pity are roughly equivalent. However, sympathy often suggests a tender concern but can also imply a power to enter into another's emotional experience of any sort.

went to my best friend for sympathy

in sympathy with her desire to locate her natural parents

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of pity

Noun

Even the neck heel is smoothly contoured, with a gorgeously swoopy-looking neck heel carve that's frankly a pity to hide at the back of the instrument; only the fancier Strats get that kind of treatment. —

New Atlas, 15 Oct. 2024 Sign up The Iraqi Nights Dunya Mikhail, 2014 This Iraqi poet conveys the pity of war, marrying the terrifying with the everyday. —

The Week Uk, theweek, 11 Oct. 2024

Verb

Read: On pitying Melania Would-be Melaniaologists have had mere scraps to work with over the years, which is why the announcement of her memoir in July was a surprise. —

Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2024 Her pitying glance and dismissive head shake were particularly effective in communicating disgust and amusement as her opponent claimed that immigrants were eating their neighbor’s pets and newborn babies were being killed in post-birth abortions. —

Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for pity

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pity

Noun

The shame and fear from that policy linger on, even generations later.

Josh Becker, The Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2024
The mechanics of the plot itself don’t quite hold up under scrutiny, which is a shame when the dialogue, performances and filmmaking craft are so tightly woven, moving in perfect sync.

Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 7 Nov. 2024