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Passion vs Pity - What's the difference?

passion | pity | Related terms |

In obsolete terms the difference between passion and pity

is that passion is to suffer pain or sorrow; to experience a passion; to be extremely agitated while pity is piety.

In transitive terms the difference between passion and pity

is that passion is to give a passionate character to while pity is to feel pity for (someone or something).

As an interjection pity is

short form of what a pity.

passion

English

Noun

  • Any great, strong, powerful emotion, especially romantic love or hate.
    • We share a passion for books.
  • * {{quote-news
    • , year=2011 , date=January 16 , author=Saj Chowdhury , title=Sunderland 1 - 1 Newcastle , work=BBC citation , page= , passage=That was partly because of a swirling wind that made precision passing difficult and also a derby atmosphere where the emphasis seemed to be on passion rather than football.}}
  • Fervor, determination.
  • An object of passionate or romantic love or strong romantic interest.
    • It started as a hobby, but now my motorbike collection has become my passion .
  • sexual intercourse, especially when very emotional
    • We shared a night of passion .
  • The suffering of Jesus leading up to and during his crucifixion.
  • A play, musical composition or display meant to commemorate the suffering of Jesus.
  • (obsolete) Suffering or enduring of imposed or inflicted pain; any suffering or distress.
    • a cardiac passion
  • * Wyclif Bible (Rom. viii. 18)
    • the passions of this time
  • (obsolete) The state of being acted upon; subjection to an external agent or influence; a passive condition; opposed to action .
  • * John Locke
    • A body at rest affords us no idea of any active power to move, and, when set is motion, it is rather a passion than an action in it.
  • (obsolete) Capacity of being affected by external agents; susceptibility of impressions from external agents.
  • * Francis Bacon
    • mouldable and not mouldable, scissible and not scissible, and many other passions of matter
  • (obsolete) An innate quality, property, or attribute of a thing.
    • to obtain the knowledge of some passion of the circle. (rfex)
  • (obsolete) Disorder of the mind; madness.
    • (Shakespeare)

    Synonyms

    * ardor, fire in the belly, zeal

    Derived terms

    * passionflower * passion fruit, passionfruit * Passion Sunday * pash * passion pop

    Related terms

    * passionate * passive * passivity * patience * patient

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (obsolete) To suffer pain or sorrow; to experience a passion; to be extremely agitated.
  • * Shakespeare
    • Dumbly she passions , frantically she doteth.
  • To give a passionate character to.
    • (Keats)

    References

    * ----

    pity

    English

    Alternative forms

    * pitty (obsolete)

    Noun

  • (uncountable) A feeling of sympathy at the misfortune or suffering of someone or something.
  • * Bible, Proverbs xix. 17
    • He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord.
  • * Shakespeare
    • Hehas no more pity in him than a dog.
  • *, Folio Society, 2006, p.5:
    • The most usuall way to appease those minds we have offendedis, by submission to move them to commiseration and pitty .
  • (countable) Something regrettable.
    • It's a pity you're feeling unwell because there's a party on tonight.
  • * Laurence Sterne
    • It was a thousand pities .
  • * Addison
    • What pity is it / That we can die but once to serve our country!
  • (obsolete) piety
    • (Wyclif)

    Synonyms

    * (mercy) ruth * (something regrettable) shame

    Verb

    (en-verb)
  • To feel pity for (someone or something).
  • * Bible, Psalms ciii. 13
    • Like as a father pitieth' his children, so the Lord ' pitieth them that fear him.
  • * 1596 , (Edmund Spenser), The Faerie Queene , IV.11:
    • She lenger yet is like captiv'd to bee; / That even to thinke thereof it inly pitties mee.
  • * Book of Common Prayer
    • It pitieth them to see her in the dust.

    Interjection

  • Short form of what a pity.

    • Synonyms

    * shame, what a pity, what a shame

    Derived terms

    * piteous * pitiable * pitiful * self-pity * what a pity ----