commiseration

American  

[kuh-miz-uh-rey-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

Etymology

Origin of commiseration

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

Example Sentences

With their local groups, people mostly posted helpful advice or commiseration.

From Slate • Jan. 11, 2025

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

Thus the play’s enduring function as a source of solace, affirmation and commiseration.

From New York Times • Apr. 20, 2022

If either of them felt surprise, resentment, commiseration or envy, they did not show it The only surprising thing to them was that the secret had been kept so long.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White