commiserate
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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uncommiseratingadjective
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commiserableadjective
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commiserationnoun
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commiserativelyadverb
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noncommiserativeadjective
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commiserativeadjective
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uncommiserativeadjective
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commiseratornoun
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noncommiserativelyadverb
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uncommiseratedadjective
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uncommiserativelyadverb
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have commiseratedperfect
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has commiseratedperfect 3rd person singular
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is commiseratingprogressive 3rd person singular
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are commiseratingprogressive
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have been commiseratingperfect progressive
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am commiseratingprogressive 1st person singular
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has been commiseratingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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commiseratingparticiple
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commiseratessingular 3rd person
Past
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had commiseratedperfect
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was commiseratingprogressive singular
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had been commiseratingperfect progressive
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were commiseratingprogressive plural
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commiseratedsimple
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commiseratedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of commiserate
First recorded in 1585–95; from Latin commiserātus (past participle of commiserārī ), equivalent to com- com- + miser “pitiable” ( see misery) + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
When you commiserate with your buddies, you're sharing your lousy feelings. People who commiserate have the same negative feelings about something. Take a look at how commiserate is built: it's from Latin "com-," which means "together with," and miserārī, "to pity." Put them together, and you get "to pity one another, commiserate." When you commiserate, you and your fellow commiserators talk about how badly you're all feeling. After the layoffs, we all went to the bar to commiserate.
Vocabulary lists containing commiserate
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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100 SAT words Beginning with "C"
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Their Eyes Were Watching God
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When Bill Ackman vented over $2 million, fellow billionaires rushed to commiserate.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026
The feature bothers him so much that he brought it up to his family around Thanksgiving last year, expecting to commiserate with his mother, brother, sister—and his brother-in-law, me.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
Brandt, a former elected member of East Hampshire District Council, claimed he wanted to commiserate with her over her failed leadership bid.
From BBC • Jan. 16, 2026
While a dejected England leave for home well beaten and under mounting pressure, Smith told TNT Sports he planned to have "a jar" with counterpart Stokes and commiserate.
From Barron's • Jan. 8, 2026
Mary was planning on doing what she always did to celebrate, commiserate, blow off steam, or just kill boredom.
From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
