EMOTION THESAURUS

PITY



Never struggle with Show-and-Tell again. Activate your free trial or subscribe to view the Emotion Thesaurus in its entirety, or visit the Table of Contents to explore unlocked entries.

CHOOSE MY PLAN

HELPFUL TIP:

The inner landscape of your characters (especially your protagonist) is the lifeblood that runs through your story. Emotions, and how they're expressed, are tied deeply to a character’s personality and which positive traits and negative traits will manifest. To bring your readers in deeper through shared experience, consider filtering the setting descriptions through your character’s emotions while also exploring important colors, textures, and shapes through his or her senses.
DEFINITION:
Feeling discomfort at the distress of others while being grateful one doesn't have to experience it oneself

SIMILAR EMOTIONS:

PHYSICAL SIGNALS AND BEHAVIORS:
Giving a clenched half-smile
Sighing
A sagging body posture
Head tilted slightly to the side
Looking at the person sideways rather than straight on
Sharing a pained glance with someone else
Facial cues that show disdain (a curling lip, the nose wrinkling, etc.)
Laying a hand over one's heart before quickly lowering it
Looking at the person as they talk but being unable to meet their eyes
Carefully weighing one's words before speaking
...

INTERNAL SENSATIONS:
...

MENTAL RESPONSES:
...

CUES OF ACUTE OR LONG TERM PITY:
...

MAY ESCALATE TO:
...

CUES OF SUPPRESSED PITY:
...

MAY DE-ESCALATE TO:
...

ASSOCIATED POWER VERBS:
...