pity

Pity is the feeling you get when you see someone suffering, struggling, or facing bad luck, and you feel sorry for them. You might feel it for a lost child, a sick animal, or a neighbor whose plans have fallen apart. It is also common in the expression "What a pity!", which means that something is unfortunate or disappointing. Sometimes the word has a slightly negative tone, because it can suggest distance or even a sense of looking down on the other person rather than truly standing with them.

Pity is a feeling of sorrow and compassion that arises when you see another person or animal suffering, in trouble, or touched by misfortune. In its most basic sense, it means feeling sorry for someone because their situation seems sad, unfair, or difficult. You may feel pity for a family that has lost its home, for a bird with an injured wing, or for a character in a story whose choices lead to disaster. The word can also be used as a verb, as in "take pity on," which means to show kindness or mercy because someone is in a bad situation.

At the same time, pity is not always received warmly. It can suggest that the person who feels it is standing at a distance, noticing another person's hardship without fully understanding it. Because of that, pity is often contrasted with empathy, which involves trying to understand another person's feelings more deeply. Someone may welcome compassion and help, but dislike being treated as an object of pity if it feels patronizing or unequal.

The word also appears in a second common use: "What a pity!" In this case, it does not focus on a person at all. Instead, it expresses regret that something unfortunate happened, such as canceled plans, a missed chance, or disappointing news. Historically, the word comes through Old French from a root connected with duty, devotion, and compassion. Today, it mainly refers either to feeling sorry for someone in distress or to saying that a situation is sadly unfortunate.