Pity

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Pity means feeling for others, particularly feelings of sadness or sorrow. In a positive sense it means "sympathy" and "empathy". More commonly Pity is a negative judgement of others and their situation. An example of pity is how most people feel about the homeless. Pity and compassion are closely related words but have subtle differences. The difference is that compassion usually involves some commitment to help. Pity does not usually require any personal involvement. Sometimes pity can also have feelings of contempt and dislike that go with it. In a positive sense, and especially as practiced in many religions, it can involve feelings the person does not deserve what has happened to him or her. In this case the person feeling pity feels sorry it happened.

Pity Media

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  Pity the sorrows of a poor old man

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  Alexander sees with a look of pity that Darius has died from his wounds.

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  The Human Abstract, a poem in William Blake's collection Songs of Innocence and of Experience, in which he proclaims "Pity would be no more, / If we did not make somebody Poor" (1-2). This version is copy L created in 1795 and currently held by the Yale Center for British Art.

Related pages

• Empathy
• Compassion