Quote:
Originally Posted by Brown Owl
I looked up the definition of pity (Oxford English dictionary):
the feeling of sorrow and compassion caused by the sufferings and misfortunes of others.
"her voice was full of pity"
synonyms: compassion, commiseration, condolence, sorrow, regret, sadness, distress, sympathy, fellow feeling, understanding, feeling, emotion;
I think that maybe we use the word 'pity' more to imply a level of superior condescension: 'I pity you', but that doesn't seem to be the dictionary definition.
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No. 1 once said, "I don't feel pity for you, I feel compassion." She didn't regard them as synonyms, because to her pity meant that you could feel sorry for someone but couldn't relate, while compassion meant that you felt sorry WITH someone, that you were with them in their pain.
Compassion and sympathy are the same words, by the way, just compassion is from Latin and sympathy is from Greek.