n.
Pronunciation: ' pi-t ē
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural pit · ies
Etymology: Middle English pite, from Anglo-French pité, from Latin pietat-, pietas piety, pity, from pius pious
Date: 13th century
1 a : sympathetic sorrow for one suffering, distressed, or unhappy b : capacity to feel pity
2 : something to be regretted <it's a pity you can't go>
synonyms PITY , COMPASSION , COMMISERATION , CONDOLENCE , SYMPATHY 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>. COMPASSION implies pity coupled with an urgent desire to aid or to spare <treats the homeless with great compassion >. COMMISERATION suggests pity expressed outwardly in exclamations, tears, or words of comfort <murmurs of commiseration filled the loser's headquarters>. CONDOLENCE applies chiefly to formal expression of grief to one who has suffered loss <expressed their condolences to the widow>. 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>.