Pity vs Mercy - What's the difference?
pity | mercy |
(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) relenting; forbearance to cause or allow harm to another
(uncountable) forgiveness or compassion, especially toward those less fortunate.
(uncountable) A tendency toward forgiveness, pity, or compassion
(countable) Instances of forbearance or forgiveness.
A blessing, something to be thankful for.
(phrasal) Subjugation, power.
*
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, passage=The stories did not seem to me to touch life. […] They left me with the impression of a well-delivered stereopticon lecture, with characters about as life-like as the shadows on the screen, and whisking on and off, at the mercy of the operator.}}
In uncountable terms the difference between pity and mercy
is that pity is a feeling of sympathy at the misfortune or suffering of someone or something while mercy is a tendency toward forgiveness, pity, or compassion.In countable terms the difference between pity and mercy
is that pity is something regrettable while mercy is instances of forbearance or forgiveness.As a verb pity
is to feel pity for (someone or something).As an interjection pity
is short form of what a pity.As a proper noun Mercy is
{{given name|female|from=English}}, one of the less common Puritan virtue names.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.