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# pity

«pity» in Mova's school dictionary: **a feeling of sadness for someone who is suffering or in…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (pity — uncountable; a pity); verb (pity, pities, pitied, pitying)

### meaning for a pupil

1) Pity is a feeling of sadness for someone who is suffering or in trouble. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pity/#m1)

2) «It's a pity» or «what a pity» means it is sad or a shame that something happened. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pity/#m2)

3) To pity someone means to feel sorry for them. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pity/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

In stories pity shows a character's kind heart, or sometimes that they look down on someone. In everyday life people say «What a pity!» when a plan fails, a trip is cancelled or rain spoils a game. Phrases: feel pity for, take pity on (help someone because you feel sorry for them), it's a pity that, what a pity, out of pity.

### examples

- I felt pity for the lost puppy in the rain. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pity/#x1)
- It's a pity you can't come to my party. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pity/#x2)
- What a pity the match was cancelled! [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pity/#x3)
- The giant took pity on the hungry boy and gave him bread. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pity/#x4)
- She doesn't want pity; she wants help. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pity/#x5)
- I pity anyone who has to walk home in this storm. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pity/#x6)
- It would be a pity to waste all this food. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pity/#x7)
- That would have been a pity. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pity/#x8)

### note

Mostly uncountable as a feeling: «full of pity», not «pities». But «a pity» = a shame: «It's a pity». Past of the verb: pitied (y changes to i). Pity is not the same as kindness: some people dislike pity because it can feel like being looked down on; «sympathy» or «compassion» sound warmer. «Pitiful» means very sad or very poor.

### In the corpora

- [People with disabilities want respect, not pity, so treat them as anyone else and ask before helping.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/103-screens-fairness-and-differences/14/)
- [Wynne is half insulted and half chuffed that Gwil cares, but a fake win feels like pity.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/507-siblings-as-best-mates-and-as-rivals/15/)
- [When a big sibling always wins, the younger one may give up; letting them win on purpose often feels like pity.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/507-siblings-as-best-mates-and-as-rivals/34/)
- [then thou shalt cut off her hand, thine eye shall have no pity.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/jps/DEU.673/)
- [and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.'](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/jps/2SA.304/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «pity» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pity/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.