Definition

1. Noun:
   • A feeling of sorrow or sadness for oneself: "Self-pity" refers to an excessive, often self-indulgent, focus on one's own problems, troubles, or sufferings, accompanied by feelings of sadness and a sense of being unfairly treated.

Usage

• "Self-pity" is an uncountable noun. It describes a state of mind or an emotional condition.
• It typically carries a negative connotation, implying that the person is being overly absorbed in their own misfortune and perhaps not taking constructive action.
• It is often used with verbs like "indulge in," "wallow in," "succumb to," or "overcome."

Examples

• After losing the match, he was consumed by self-pity for days.
• She realized that self-pity wouldn't solve her problems and decided to seek help.
• It's easy to fall into self-pity when things go wrong, but it's more productive to look for solutions.

Advanced Usage

• "To wallow in self-pity": to indulge deeply and excessively in feeling sorry for oneself.
  • After the breakup, he spent a week just wallowing in self-pity.
• "A bout/fit of self-pity": a short period of giving in to this feeling.
  • She had a brief fit of self-pity before pulling herself together.

Variants and Related Words

• Self-pitying (adjective): Characterized by or showing self-pity.
  • He gave a long, self-pitying speech about his failures.

Synonyms

• Self-indulgent sorrow: Sorrow that one allows oneself to feel excessively.
• Feeling sorry for oneself: A more informal phrase with a similar meaning.

Antonyms

• Resilience: The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties.
• Stoicism: The endurance of pain or hardship without the display of feelings or complaint.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "Poor me" attitude: An informal expression describing a mindset of self-pity.
  • You need to drop the "poor me" attitude and start taking responsibility.
• "To have a pity party" (informal, often derogatory): To indulge in self-pity, often while seeking sympathy from others.
  • She threw herself a little pity party after not getting the promotion.

Noun

1. a feeling of sorrow (often self-indulgent) over your own sufferings