Word.ws English Dictionary

Synonyms of pity

20 similar words

Another word for pity is sympathy. Other synonyms of pity are mercy, shame, commiseration and tenderheartedness.

Synonyms and similar words for pity

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

  • mercyForgiveness or compassion, especially toward those less fortunate.
  • ruthSorrow for the misery of another person; compassion, mercy, pity.
  • commiserationThe act of commiserating; sorrow for the hardships or afflictions of another; pity; compassion.
  • compassion
  • empathy
  • fellow feelingA sense of sympathy for, consideration of, or shared interests with one or more other human beings.
  • sympathyA feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another.
  • tenderheartednessThe characteristic of being tenderhearted.
  • loving-kindness
  • bowels archaicCompassion, sympathy.
  • remorse obsoleteSorrow; pity; compassion.
  • rue archaic, dialectalPity; compassion.

nounSomething regrettable.

  • shameSomething to regret.

verbTo feel pity for (someone or something).

verbMore synonyms

  • feel someone's pain figurativelyTo sympathize with somebody.
  • take pityTo show compassion (towards).
  • compassionate archaicTo feel compassion (for someone or with regard to something); to regard (someone or something) with compassion.
  • condole obsoleteTo express condolence to, or sympathetic sorrow with (someone); to lament in sympathy with (someone).
  • mercify obsolete, rareTo have mercy on; to pity.

Meaning of pity

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

Full definition of pity

pity in other languages

Questions about synonyms of pity

What is another word for pity?
Pity has 20 synonyms on Word.ws, such as sympathy, mercy, shame, commiseration and tenderheartedness.
What does pity mean?
Pity means a feeling of sympathy at the misfortune or suffering of someone or something.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: pity (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “Synonyms of pity.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/pity. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.