Pity

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]

  1. ^ Kimball, Robert H. (2004). "A Plea for Pity". Philosophy & Rhetoric. 37 (4): 301–316. doi:10.1353/par.2004.0029. S2CID 144602784.
  2. ^ Godrej, Dinyar. "Stuff Pity!". New Internationalist.