as in merciful
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Dissimilar Words
as in loving
to have sympathy for
I always pity the people who have to work in this freezing weather
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pitying
Casey Cep,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
Twenty-first-century indie shaped the identities of many Millennials, but it’s now often talked about with pitying nostalgia—as the bygone style of hipsters with handlebar mustaches pretending to be countercultural while making easy-listening music for hotel lobbies.
—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
There is nothing pitying and also nothing airbrushed in the pictures—just the occasional haze of a misty morning or the blurry tremor of a burning brush pile.
—
Casey Cep,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
Twenty-first-century indie shaped the identities of many Millennials, but it’s now often talked about with pitying nostalgia—as the bygone style of hipsters with handlebar mustaches pretending to be countercultural while making easy-listening music for hotel lobbies.
—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pitying
Adjective
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Just when a dreadful day was approaching a merciful end, the chants from the remaining crowd at Citi Field poked fun at the New York Mets’ mess in a way boos cannot match with ridicule.
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That painful night in Dallas now feels merciful, compared with what this Avs team just experienced.
Verb
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Two years ago, Ella Langley introduced herself to country-loving audiences with her debut album Hungover.
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Colombian journalists and fans in Kansas City Stadium were loving Cabo Verde’s attempt to knock out the reigning champions.
Adjective
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Dozens of new heat-tolerant hybrids have been developed that perform best with 4 to 6 hours of direct sunlight daily.
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Invest in adaptation that saves lives at a fraction of the cost, from sea walls to drought-tolerant crops to early warning systems.
Adjective
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The most remarkable performance in the film, however, may be that of real-life counselor Annette Deao, whose firm hand and sympathetic guidance lend Union County its stoic nature.
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Ever since Hayden Herrera published her landmark biography of Frida in 1983, Kahlo has been perceived as a sympathetic figure.
Adjective
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Atletico coach Diego Simeone has said publicly that the player has the right to make decisions over his own future, but the Metropolitano fans are unlikely to be so understanding.
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That's why understanding affordability has become just as important as finding the right property.
Adjective
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These rules aim to put patient interests ahead of profit motives.
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Success will depend less on constructing facilities than on securing long-term buyers, trusted regulators, technology transfer, and patient capital that can sustain long-term production.
Adjective
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With the economy in the doldrums, the public is less forbearing.
Adjective
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In just over half those states, the more forgiving deadlines apply only to ballots cast by military and overseas voters.
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The World Cup’s new, forgiving format allows the top eight of the 12 third-place teams, like third-place South Korea (1-0-2), to move on to knockout play with as few as three points.
Cite this Entry
“Pitying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pitying. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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