feel sorry for

Meaning

This expression means to feel sympathy, pity, or compassion towards someone who is experiencing a difficult situation. It is a very common way to express empathy in daily life, though depending on the tone, it can sometimes sound slightly patronizing.

Examples

• I really feel sorry for Mark; he's had a really tough year.

  I really feel sorry for Mark; he's had a really tough year.

• Don't feel sorry for me—I'm actually quite happy with how things turned out.

  Don't feel sorry for me—I'm actually quite happy with how things turned out.

• I couldn't help but feel sorry for the stray dog sitting out in the rain.

  I couldn't help but feel sorry for the stray dog sitting out in the rain.

• She felt sorry for her colleague who had to work late on Christmas Eve.

  She felt sorry for her colleague who had to work late on Christmas Eve.

• We all felt sorry for him when his vacation got canceled at the last minute.

  We all felt sorry for him when his vacation got canceled at the last minute.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ I feel sorry about him because he lost his job.

  ✓ I feel sorry for him because he lost his job.

  Use "feel sorry for [someone]" to show sympathy. "Feel sorry about [something]" means you regret an event or action.

• ✗ She felt pity for him when he failed.

  ✓ She felt sorry for him when he failed.

  While grammatically correct, "feel pity for" can sound overly formal, dramatic, or condescending in modern daily conversation. "Feel sorry for" is much more natural.

Related Expressions

Practice

• I really ___ the students who have to take exams in this extreme heat.

  💡 Have sympathy or compassion for them.

  Show answer

  feel sorry for

• You shouldn't ___ her; she brought this trouble on herself.

  💡 Express sadness or pity for someone's situation.

  Show answer

  feel sorry for