sympathetic
Americanadjective
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characterized by, proceeding from, exhibiting, or feeling sympathy; sympathizing; compassionate.
a sympathetic listener.
- Synonyms:
- affectionate , tender , kind
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acting or affected by, of the nature of, or pertaining to a special affinity or mutual relationship; congenial.
With their many similar tastes, he found her a most sympathetic companion.
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looking upon with favor (often followed by to ortoward ).
She is sympathetic to the project.
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Anatomy, Physiology.
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pertaining to that part of the autonomic nervous system consisting of nerves that arise from the thoracic and lumbar regions of the spinal cord, and functioning in opposition to the parasympathetic system, as in stimulating heartbeat, dilating the pupil of the eye, etc.
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Obsolete. pertaining to the autonomic nervous system in its entirety.
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Physics. noting or pertaining to vibrations, sounds, etc., produced by a body as the direct result of similar vibrations in a different body.
adjective
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characterized by, feeling, or showing sympathy; understanding
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in accord with the subject's personality or mood; congenial
a sympathetic atmosphere
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showing agreement (with) or favour (towards)
sympathetic to the proposals
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anatomy physiol of or relating to the division of the autonomic nervous system that acts in opposition to the parasympathetic system accelerating the heartbeat, dilating the bronchi, inhibiting the smooth muscles of the digestive tract, etc Compare parasympathetic
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relating to vibrations occurring as a result of similar vibrations in a neighbouring body
sympathetic strings on a sitar
Usage
What does sympathetic mean? Sympathetic means having sympathy—having the same emotions as someone else, especially sadness.Being sympathetic in this way is usually understood to mean that you feel bad for someone because they are in a negative situation.Sympathetic is also sometimes used to mean supportive of or loyal to someone or something, as in The governor is trying to portray himself as sympathetic to the working class.Sometimes, sympathetic is used to describe a person (or fictional character) who you can identify with and care about, as in His political ads try to make him look like a sympathetic figure. To be sympathetic toward someone is to sympathize with them. The opposite of sympathetic is unsympathetic.Some people use the word sympathetic interchangeably or in overlapping ways with the word empathetic, which means having or tending to have empathy—the ability or practice of imagining or trying to deeply understand what someone else is feeling or what it’s like to be in their situation. However, others distinguish the two terms by emphasizing the importance of being empathetic toward others (feeling their pain) as opposed to being sympathetic toward them (feeling sorry for them).Example: I’ve experienced the same thing, so I’m sympathetic toward them.
Other Word Forms
- nonsympathetic adjective
- nonsympathetically adverb
- quasi-sympathetic adjective
- quasi-sympathetically adverb
- supersympathetic adjective
- sympathetically adverb
- unsympathetic adjective
- unsympathetically adverb
Etymology
Origin of sympathetic
First recorded in 1635–45; from New Latin sympathēticus, from Greek sympathētikós; equivalent to sym- + pathetic
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.
In a note, the bank’s analysts say they are “sympathetic to concerns about oversupply” and acknowledge “a large range of outcomes remains possible.”
Mr. Dowling is a discerning and sympathetic, if occasionally starchy, guide through Shepard’s oeuvre.
They said they had raised the matter with their local councillor, Nicola Matthews, who had offered her support in tackling the issue, adding council officials had been polite and sympathetic.
From BBC
This idealized view is also far more sympathetic than modern perceptions of other medieval events, including the Crusades, which are now linked with coercion and brutality.
From Science Daily
Ms. Doucet populates the book with sympathetic characters—the “real cement and steel of the Inter-Con”—conscientious and kind Afghans who keep the hotel going as regimes collapse, rulers change, mores alter.
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.
