List of 426 Sets of Synonyms - How they Differ - Total of 2307 Words - 290

SYNONYMS: pity, compassion, commiseration, sympathy, condolence, empathy.
These nouns signify sympathetic, kindly concern aroused by the misfortune, affliction, or suffering of another.

Pity often implies a feeling of sorrow that inclines one to help or to show mercy: They showed no pity for the victims.
Compassion denotes deep awareness of the suffering of another and the wish to relieve it: Compassion is not weakness.
Commiseration signifies the expression of pity or sorrow: They wonder why they should be objects of commiseration.
Sympathy as it is compared here denotes the act of or capacity for sharing in the sorrows or troubles of another: They had little sympathy to spare for their unfortunate enemies.
Condolence is a formal, conventional expression of pity, usually to relatives upon a death: We extended our condolences to the bereaved family.
Empathy is a vicarious identification with and understanding of another's situation, feelings, and motives: Empathy for the criminal's childhood misery does not imply exoneration of the crimes he committed as an adult.