as in sadness
disapproving
a feeling of pity for yourself because you believe you have suffered more than is fair or reasonable
He was wallowing in self-pity. She spoke without a trace of self-pity.
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Recent Examples of self-pity
The question felt more confrontational than self-pitying.
—
Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 21 July 2025
Pixar has never hesitated to show childhood tumult before, or to explore the feelings that might lead someone to act out, but Elio’s combination of mourning and self-pity are a genuine challenge.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 17 June 2025
Weinstein had a self-pitying and widely covered jailhouse conversation with right-wing commentator Candace Owens in March.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 12 June 2025
The work of avoiding such ignominious history and getting this turned around is Warren Schaeffer’s to do, and the former Yard Goats skipper is not giving despair or self-pity the time of day.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 31 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-pity
Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 21 July 2025
Pixar has never hesitated to show childhood tumult before, or to explore the feelings that might lead someone to act out, but Elio’s combination of mourning and self-pity are a genuine challenge.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 17 June 2025
Weinstein had a self-pitying and widely covered jailhouse conversation with right-wing commentator Candace Owens in March.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 12 June 2025
The work of avoiding such ignominious history and getting this turned around is Warren Schaeffer’s to do, and the former Yard Goats skipper is not giving despair or self-pity the time of day.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 31 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-pity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-pity
Noun
-
Regarding the Armani company, Nicolas Hieronimus, chief executive officer of L’Oréal, during a call Tuesday evening with analysts and journalists to discuss third-quarter and nine-months results reiterated sadness in the passing of Giorgio Armani, with whom the group collaborated for 40 years.—
Footwear News,
Footwear News,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Keep in mind, sadness may not be the only emotion kids show.—
Hannah Nwoko,
Parents,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The shock that images of the destruction provoke—the grief so many have felt—is not an overreaction to the loss of a beloved building.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
25 Oct. 2025
-
This was what brought him to grief.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Joy, love, and meaningful connections remain possible beyond the sorrow, stigma, and isolation that often accompany a diagnosis.—
Essence,
Essence,
21 Oct. 2025
-
This grim reality evokes a sense of sorrow and powerlessness among women in Paina Bujurg.—
Aishwarya S. Iyer,
CNN Money,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The manager who is so often the picture of calm had reddened eyes, a hint of melancholy in his voice.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
-
The pop icon’s 12th album, released at midnight on Friday, is being hailed for the singer’s return to upbeat pop following last year’s melancholy The Tortured Poets Department, with Swift reuniting with Swedish hitmaker producers Max Martin and Shellback.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Springsteen grew up alongside rock’n’roll, absorbing its origin story and waiting for the day when his ability to write a killer riff would transport him from the misery of living with a father who didn’t understand him, shut off from a world that promised so much but gave so little.—
Sadie Sartini Garner,
Pitchfork,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Whether the Monster is part of Ana’s imagination or not, the scene carries a fragile, haunting power, suggesting that the only person capable of rescuing Ana from the pervasive mystery and misery of her home life belongs to the supernatural, outside the punishing borders of Franco’s Spain.—
Rory Doherty,
Vulture,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Days full of anguish Thousands of miles away from the ICE detention facility in Michigan, Aurelquis Gómez visits her nephew Noah often.—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN Money,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Director Josh Boone will cut to a goofy montage right after a moment when a character is supposed to be mired in anguish.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The wife ushers the two frightened boys behind her, and watches on helplessly as her husband screams in agony and terror, thrashing his arms and legs.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Please, more of Isabella lightly teasing Marty about his tendency to flagellate himself while considering the agony of the human condition.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Not all is doom and gloom with this astrological transit.—
Lisa Stardust,
Refinery29,
14 Oct. 2025
-
The weather is finally shifting to match the season, but celebrity beauty isn’t falling into the gloom.—
Essence,
Essence,
13 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-pity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-pity. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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