Pity is a sympathetic sorrow evoked by the suffering of others. The word is comparable to compassion, condolence, or empathy. It derives from the Latin pietas (etymon also of piety). Self-pity is pity directed towards oneself.
Two different kinds of pity can be distinguished, "benevolent pity" and "contemptuous pity".[1] In the latter, through insincere, pejorative usage, pity connotes feelings of superiority, condescension, or contempt.[2]