How to Use self-pity in a Sentence

self-pity

noun
  • Don’t wallow in self-pity and stare into the abyss.
    — Melinda Salchert, Southern Living, 20 Nov. 2025
  • There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear.
    — Literary Hub, 6 Feb. 2026
  • Lethargy is right there, self-pity is right there, depression's right there.
    — Alex Ross, Peoplemag, 18 Sep. 2024
  • You’re allowed to want more, of course, but be wary of getting stuck in the quagmire of self-pity.
    — Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 Feb. 2026
  • Being fat or an immigrant or full of self-pity for one reason or other.
    — Literary Hub, 4 Nov. 2025
  • In jail, her friends had coached her to appear remorseful but not to cry, because no one likes self-pity.
    — Lizzie Presser, ProPublica, 28 Sep. 2024
  • First there was anger, then there was self-pity, then came a period of introspection.
    — Steve Douglas, USA TODAY, 18 Jan. 2024
  • Florida fans aren't dumb, and have once again called their former coach out on the latest stop of his self-pity tour.
    — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 6 May 2026
  • The three components of the franchise’s young core refuse to let Williams wallow in any self-pity.
    — Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 13 Mar. 2025
  • Told with humor, insight and not an ounce of self-pity, his story is an inspiration.
    — Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 9 Mar. 2025
  • No self-pity in those four words, no performance of stoicism either—just the clean arithmetic of a life lived at full speed.
    — Outside, 10 Feb. 2026
  • Yet, remarkably, Williams never comes across as self-pitying.
    — Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times, 25 Dec. 2024
  • We’re steeped in the envy, the self-pity, and the crippling status anxiety that drive him to murder.
    — Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 15 Apr. 2024
  • In a split second, whatever self-pity had taken a hold of him following the attack is gone.
    — Manuel Betancourt, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2024
  • Now 30, Varvarych was a bodybuilder and is still proud of his physique, refusing to show self-pity.
    — Carol Guzy, NPR, 22 Feb. 2026
  • The process, at times, has left him vacillating from tears of self-pity to intense anger and severe depression.
    — Phil McCausland, NBC News, 6 Aug. 2023
  • Despite the challenges, Urso refused to indulge in self-pity.
    — Daniel I. Dorfman, Chicago Tribune, 16 Mar. 2026
  • King Charles' cancer diagnosis must have pushed her aversion to self-pity to its limits.
    — Jack Royston, Newsweek, 12 Mar. 2025
  • Never mind that country music is — or was, a few decades back — the genre people could count on to commiserate in self-pity.
    — Tom Roland, Billboard, 19 July 2023
  • Those reflections on youthful passion contrast sharply with the Mozzer’s current state of self-pity.
    — Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone, 6 Mar. 2026
  • Satan is harsh and hypnotic, romantic and self-pitying in his despair.
    — Merve Emre, The New Yorker, 16 Dec. 2024
  • This is not about wallowing in self-pity but rather accepting that setbacks happen to everyone.
    — Benjamin Laker, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024
  • Not that Paul, 42 years old and newly divorced, is overly inclined toward self-pity.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 29 Aug. 2025
  • This one stinks to high heaven for sneaking anger, self-pity, and jealousy under the guise of being a pseudo-compliment.
    — John Bowe, Contributor, CNBC, 7 Feb. 2025
  • The loss of Eileen and return of the self-pitying Orwell alter ego are certainly linked.
    — Stephen Metcalf, The Atlantic, 5 Apr. 2024
  • Every setback was met with more determination instead of self-pity.
    — Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 June 2026
  • Trump should remember that self-pitying laments about legal troubles are never audience-pleasers.
    — Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 10 Apr. 2023
  • For the first — and perhaps only — time in his Iowa coaching career, Ferentz briefly wallowed in self-pity.
    — Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2025
  • Succumbing to a victim mentality in these moments can make your problems seem bigger and send you into a wave of self-doubt or self-pity.
    — Ashton Jackson, CNBC, 30 July 2024
  • There’s something delicious about his cocktail of self-pity and self-loathing, which can arouse both the viewer’s repulsion and compassion.
    — Susie Goldsbrough, The Atlantic, 28 Dec. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'self-pity.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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