pity
verb/ˈpɪti/
/ˈpɪti/
not used in the progressive tensesVerb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they pity | /ˈpɪti/ /ˈpɪti/ |
| he / she / it pities | /ˈpɪtiz/ /ˈpɪtiz/ |
| past simple pitied | /ˈpɪtid/ /ˈpɪtid/ |
| past participle pitied | /ˈpɪtid/ /ˈpɪtid/ |
| past simple pitying | /ˈpɪtiɪŋ/ /ˈpɪtiɪŋ/ |
| past participle pitying | /ˈpɪtiɪŋ/ /ˈpɪtiɪŋ/ |
- to feel sorry for somebody because of their situation; to feel pity for somebody
- pity somebody He pitied people who were stuck in dead-end jobs.
- Compulsive gamblers are more to be pitied than condemned.
- pity somebody doing something I pity her having to work such long hours.
Word OriginMiddle English (also in the sense ‘clemency, mildness’): from Old French pite ‘compassion’, from Latin pietas ‘piety’; compare with piety.Definitions on the go
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