commiseration

American  

[kuh-miz-uh-ray-shuhn] / kəˌmɪz əˈreɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act of empathizing, or expressing sympathy or sorrow for someone about something.

   Taking the seat next to him, she put her arm around his shoulders in silent commiseration.

2. commiserations, an expression of sympathy or sorrow for someone.

   All my thanks and commiserations to the dedicated staff, many of whom I expect will lose their jobs in the cutbacks.

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Other Word Forms

• noncommiseration
  noun

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Etymology

Origin of commiseration

First recorded in 1570–80; commiserat(e) ( def. ) + -ion ( def. )

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Explanation

Commiseration refers to feelings of sympathy for other people. If a friend's pet dies, you will probably want to express your commiseration. If you are feeling commiseration for someone, they are probably going through difficult times. We feel commiseration when others suffer or feel pain and we understand that pain. We commiserate with them. The Latin root com- means "together with." Just as communication and community are words involving getting people together, commiseration is about feeling other people's pain.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

commiseration

This kind of commiseration in the form of light, joking banter exists wherever heterosexual women gather.

From Salon ● Jun. 3, 2026

But commiseration and understanding aren’t enough, and real psychological help isn’t something to be found in a subreddit.

From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2024

Instead, they were mostly gestures of commiseration after the tech giant began cutting 18,000 jobs that January morning.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 8, 2023

Even among more put-together attendees, private Slack channels were reportedly awash in commiseration.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2023

In return, she offers me a commiseration of raised eyebrows—which is one step before a friendly smile.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

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