as in sadness
disapproving
a feeling of pity for yourself because you believe you have suffered more than is fair or reasonable
He was wallowing in self-pity. She spoke without a trace of self-pity.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of self-pity
Embrace them with curiosity, not self-pity; with adventure, not anxiety.
—
Margie Warrell, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025
And when his self-pity about the injury turns into a weird possessiveness upon the discovery of Dwight’s very real concussion (from a car crash on his way to rescue Michael, mind you), the episode reaches another level.
—Ben Rosenstock, Time, 6 May 2025
In our very own century, a president of the United States has mangled the meaning of witch hunt beyond anything but self-pitying victimhood.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 14 Apr. 2025
The Ballad of Wallis Island Rated PG-13 for inoffensive bird-watching and offensive self-pity.
—Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-pity
Margie Warrell, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025
And when his self-pity about the injury turns into a weird possessiveness upon the discovery of Dwight’s very real concussion (from a car crash on his way to rescue Michael, mind you), the episode reaches another level.
—Ben Rosenstock, Time, 6 May 2025
In our very own century, a president of the United States has mangled the meaning of witch hunt beyond anything but self-pitying victimhood.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 14 Apr. 2025
The Ballad of Wallis Island Rated PG-13 for inoffensive bird-watching and offensive self-pity.
—Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-pity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-pity
Noun
-
This is twilight music, played at the edge of grief and grace.—
Philip Martin,
Arkansas Online,
19 June 2025
-
Adriana Smith’s story captured national attention — now, her family is holding both a newborn and unimaginable grief.—
Oumou Fofana,
Essence,
18 June 2025
Noun
-
To date, the Facebook post about her story has garnered more than 19,000 reactions, sparking a wave of sorrow and outrage from animal lovers across the country.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 June 2025
-
Prefaced by a host of personal disasters—the death of her mother’s onetime partner Mary Norcross, her own hospitalization for digestive problems, her mother’s painful shingles and neuralgia—the decade of the 1940s brought sorrow.—
Susan Gubar
June 9,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2025
Noun
-
That betrayal, like so many others, fed the melancholy in Brian's music.—
Philip Martin,
Arkansas Online,
15 June 2025
-
With melancholy and playfulness both, Seed threads in her own introspective voice-over and contemporary footage (poring over material, visiting her dad, sparring with a boyfriend).—
Robert Abele,
Los Angeles Times,
13 June 2025
Noun
-
In a season full of misery and a historic number of losses, there was plenty of reason to celebrate Colorado’s first walk-off win.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
12 June 2025
-
Greta’s missed opportunity to understand the deep roots of this misery is another lesson lost to the world.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
11 June 2025
Noun
-
Drawing heavily from Qiu’s biography, My Father’s Son centers on an 18-year-old protagonist, Qiao, who loses his voice while attempting to deliver the eulogy at his father’s funeral and flees in anguish.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
19 June 2025
-
Many of us watch in anguish as our compatriots abandon their homes, desperate for a safe haven beyond the reach of oppression and destruction.—
Nazanin Boniadi,
Time,
17 June 2025
Noun
-
And that gave him some kind of legitimacy after 40 years of agony, derided by the music press.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
11 June 2025
-
For more than a year, the Perry family waited in agony for answers.—
Christina Coulter,
People.com,
7 June 2025
Noun
-
Adding to the gloom in Tokyo is the uncertainty of U.S. tariff policy toward China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), where Japanese firms are also heavily invested.—
Robert Ward,
NPR,
27 May 2025
-
Consumers are hunting for cheaper vacations — and road trips are one way people are keeping travel plans despite economic gloom.—
Amina Kilpatrick,
NBC news,
26 May 2025
Noun
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To add insult to injury, distress at work has been linked to a decrease in innovative work behavior, meaning all that destructive stress ultimately may yield less inspiring work.—
Drew Gerber,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
-
The Tennessee law, like Idaho’s, centers on medical care for transgender youth that addresses gender dysphoria, or feelings of distress when a person’s body or presentation doesn’t match their gender identity.—
Nicole Blanchard,
Idaho Statesman,
19 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-pity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-pity. Accessed 26 Jun. 2025.
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