How to use pity in a sentence

40 example sentences · noun, verb

Pity means a feeling of sympathy at the misfortune or suffering of someone or something. Example: “I can't feel any pity towards the gang, who got injured while attempting to break into a flat.”

Examples of pity by meaning

nounA feeling of sympathy at the misfortune or suffering of someone or something.

I can't feel any pity towards the gang, who got injured while attempting to break into a flat.
take pity on someone
They don't fear us, and they'll never take pity on us.2012, BioWare, Mass Effect 3 (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Prologue: Earth

nounSomething regrettable.

It's a pity you're feeling unwell because there's a party on tonight.
What a pity about the band breaking up. I loved them!
It is a thousand pities that no more detailed records than those of the guard's journals are available, but enough is known to establish them firmly among the finest feats ever achieved by "A3" Pacifics.1941 September, O. S. Nock, “The Locomotives of Sir Nigel Gresley: Part V”, in Railway Magazine, page 395

verbTo feel pity for (someone or something).

You have got to pity the guy - he lost his wife, mother and job in the same month.

More sentences with pity

It seems a pity, but I can't see you this weekend.From the entry seem
I was sitting in my room, wallowing in self pity, when my favorite TV program came on.From the entry self-pity
The mind here exhibited is one untouched by pity, unstung by remorse, and uncorrected by shame.From the entry unstung
I pity that new labor crew. Management is really riding them hard and putting them away wet.From the entry ride hard and put away wet
The fiddle break was amazing; it was a pity the singer came back in on the wrong note.From the entry break
My Lady, will you not take pity on me?From the entry lady
What a pity you can't attend our party tonight.From the entry what a pity
Someone please take pity on that homeless man in the rain and give him a place to stay overnight.From the entry take pity
Have pity or compassion on him.From the entry on
But it did finally diffuse some of my animosity and turn me toward pity without empathy.2020, Patti Larsen, chapter 13, in Out With The Old and Death, [s.l.]: Patti Larsen Books, →ISBN, unnumbered page. From the entry viperesque
Basically it’s a giant pity party that started on the 4chan board R9K.2018 April 25, Oli Dugmore, “What is an incel? A former member of the internet subculture explains”, in JOE. From the entry wizard
May God, through the wide-handed grace of His pity grant some kind of amnesty.2012, Peter Brown, Through the Eye of a Needle, →ISBN. From the entry wide-handed
In all instances, a possible unresolved conflict exists between the pitier and the pitied.2011, Dana LaCourse Munteanu, Tragic Pathos: Pity and Fear in Greek Philosophy and Tragedy. From the entry pitier
Pity McNamara′s still doing his stretch in the quod, but he′ll be out soon.2006, Pip Wilson, Faces in the Street: Louisa and Henry Lawson and the Castlereagh Street Push, page 202. From the entry quod
Pity, a lot of big city newspapers have gone all chickenpoop and stopped allowing gun ads.2004 October 15, SnipeUNblue, quoting Claire Wolfe, “Miss Fitz' Guide to Guns, Part II”, in rec.guns (Usenet), archived from the original…. From the entry chickenpoop
What a pity one cannot sleepwrite on the ceiling with one's finger or lifted toe.1984, Denton Welch, Michael De-la-Noy, The journals of Denton Welch, page 260. From the entry sleepwrite
Reader take pity on me, in the greatest of my sufferings.1981, Carlo M. Cipolla, “Theory, Observation, and Policy”, in Fighting the Plague in Seventeenth-Century Italy, Madison, Wis.; London…. From the entry lazaretto
Nietzsche could not, for instance, accuse Aristotle of preaching a morality of pity, nor of extolling humility.1973, Philippa Foot, “Nietzsche: The Revaluation of Values”, in Robert C. Solomon, Garden City, New York, editors, Nietzsche: A Collection…. From the entry megalopsychos
I think of so many people who are no more, and I pity them.1973, Emil Cioran, translated by Richard Howard, The Trouble With Being Born. From the entry no more
Pity the yearful tree, green branches torn, fronting to-morrow's winds because it must.1972, Outposts, page 29. From the entry yearful
His concern soothed her and she breathed heavily, densely, with a thick phlegmish pity for herself.1966, The American Writer and the Great Depression, page 292. From the entry phlegmish
It was a pity that sailors weren’t called as witnesses before the Royal Commission on sly-grog liquor.1960, J. E. Macdonnell, Don't Gimme the Ships, Melbourne: Horwitz Publications, page 30. From the entry royal commission
"What a pity you couldn't see it." "Isn't it?" I agreed.1951, John Wyndham, The Day of the Triffids, Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, published 1954, page 14. From the entry girl
Mark Twain once remarked that it is a pity youth is wasted on the young.1937 December 1, “Priceless Possession is Seen in Having Youth and Guarding Its Gifts”, in Mary Harrison Vaughan, editor, The Rotunda…. From the entry youth is wasted on the young
“It would be a pity to throw away a good pair of shoes,” she said.1929, Thomas Wolfe, Look Homeward, Angel, New York: Scribner, Part Two, Chapter 17, p. 188. From the entry try on
For that is the pity of the adventure-path, which is one of John Barleycorn's favourite stamping grounds.1913 August, Jack London, chapter XXIII, in John Barleycorn, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC. From the entry stamping ground
Her eyes softened with motherful pity: " The poor effendi was so seeck!1910, Rupert Hughes, Gift Wife. From the entry motherful
While it might be a pity – and a sad comment on England – Scotland could do the same.2024 February 2, Simon Jenkins, “Northern Ireland will leave the union, and Scotland could too. True devolution is the only way to save…. From the entry Celtic Tiger
I couldn't bear looking at his pity.2023 May 31, Jo Wilde, The Angel Series Collection - Books 1-3, Next Chapter. From the entry coal
That is because we are endowed with the sentiment of sympathy, which they also called benevolence, pity, and commiseration.2018, Steven Pinker, “Chapter 1: Dare to Understand!”, in Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress…. From the entry cosmopolitanism
Raindrops are raindroppy, not gumdroppy—more's the pity.2017, Imre Szeman, Dominic Boyer, Energy Humanities, page 364. From the entry gumdroppy
A convocation of eagles noticed that the young bird was without his mother and took pity on him.2015, Prasenjeet Kumar, Quiet Phoenix 2: From Failure to Fulfilment: A Memoir of an Introverted Child. From the entry convocation
Remarkably, the camels seemed to take pity on these pussies and began to protect and even coddle them.2013 January 13, anonymous author, “Cat-lore”, in alt.privacy.anon-server (Usenet), retrieved 14 Aug 2022. From the entry likewised

Meaning of pity

noun A feeling of sympathy at the misfortune or suffering of someone or something.
noun Feeling of contempt one has for someone who is hopelessly inferior.
noun Something regrettable.

Full definition of pity

Questions about pity in a sentence

How do you use pity in a sentence?: Pity is used as a noun and verb. For example: “I can't feel any pity towards the gang, who got injured while attempting to break into a flat.”
What is a short sentence with pity?: “take pity on someone”
What does pity mean?: Pity means a feeling of sympathy at the misfortune or suffering of someone or something.

Adapted from Wiktionary: pity (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Cite this page: “How to use pity in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/pity. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.