Pity vs Piety - What's the difference?
pity | piety |
(uncountable) A feeling of sympathy at the misfortune or suffering of someone or something.
* Bible, Proverbs xix. 17
* Shakespeare
*, Folio Society, 2006, p.5:
(countable) Something regrettable.
* Laurence Sterne
* Addison
(obsolete) piety
To feel pity for (someone or something).
* Bible, Psalms ciii. 13
* 1596 , (Edmund Spenser), The Faerie Queene , IV.11:
* Book of Common Prayer
Short form of what a pity.
(uncountable) reverence and devotion to God
(uncountable) similar reverence to one's parents and family
(countable) a devout act or thought
In uncountable terms the difference between pity and piety
is that pity is a feeling of sympathy at the misfortune or suffering of someone or something while piety is similar reverence to one's parents and family.In countable terms the difference between pity and piety
is that pity is something regrettable while piety is a devout act or thought.As a verb pity
is to feel pity for (someone or something).As an interjection pity
is short form of what a pity.pity
English
Alternative forms
* pitty (obsolete)Noun
- He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord.
- Hehas no more pity in him than a dog.
- The most usuall way to appease those minds we have offendedis, by submission to move them to commiseration and pitty .
- It's a pity you're feeling unwell because there's a party on tonight.
- It was a thousand pities .
- What pity is it / That we can die but once to serve our country!
- (Wyclif)
Synonyms
* (mercy) ruth * (something regrettable) shameVerb
(en-verb)- Like as a father pitieth' his children, so the Lord ' pitieth them that fear him.
- She lenger yet is like captiv'd to bee; / That even to thinke thereof it inly pitties mee.
- It pitieth them to see her in the dust.
Interjection
Synonyms
* shame, what a pity, what a shameDerived terms
* piteous * pitiable * pitiful * self-pity * what a pity ----piety
English
Noun
- Colleen's piety led her to make sacrifices that most people would not have made.
