SELF-PITY Synonyms: 105 Similar and Opposite Words

self-pity

noun

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

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 self-pity Winning an Olympic gold medal with Team USA last month has undoubtedly helped his mood, but there’s also a level of maturity at this stage of his career — and life — that doesn’t leave much room for self-pity. —

Vincent Z. Mercogliano, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026 Now 30, Varvarych was a bodybuilder and is still proud of his physique, refusing to show self-pity. —

Carol Guzy, NPR, 22 Feb. 2026 No self-pity in those four words, no performance of stoicism either—just the clean arithmetic of a life lived at full speed. —

Outside, 10 Feb. 2026 There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. —

Literary Hub, 6 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for self-pity

Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-pity

Noun

There’s both comfort in finding myself in that child’s face, and also sadness.

— Benny Peterson, Vogue, 4 May 2026
Amid the sadness and uncertainty, though, one moment captured the aviation community rallying around its own.

— Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 3 May 2026