sympathetic

American  

[sim-puh-thet-ik] / ˌsɪm pəˈθɛt ɪk /

adjective

1. characterized by, proceeding from, exhibiting, or feeling sympathy; sympathizing; compassionate.

   a sympathetic listener.

   Synonyms:

   affectionate, tender, kind

   Antonyms:

   unkind, hard

2. 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.

3. looking upon with favor (often followed by to ortoward ).

   She is sympathetic to the project.

4. Anatomy, Physiology.

   1. 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.

   2. Obsolete. pertaining to the autonomic nervous system in its entirety.

5. Physics. noting or pertaining to vibrations, sounds, etc., produced by a body as the direct result of similar vibrations in a different body.

---

sympathetic British  

/ ˌsɪmpəˈθɛtɪk /

adjective

1. characterized by, feeling, or showing sympathy; understanding

2. in accord with the subject's personality or mood; congenial

   a sympathetic atmosphere

3. showing agreement (with) or favour (towards)

   sympathetic to the proposals

4. 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

5. 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
• quasi-sympathetic
  adjective
• supersympathetic
  adjective
• unsympathetic
  adjective
• nonsympathetically
  adverb
• quasi-sympathetically
  adverb
• sympathetically
  adverb
• unsympathetically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of sympathetic

First recorded in 1635–45; from New Latin sympathēticus, from Greek sympathētikós; equivalent to sym- + pathetic

Explanation

A sympathetic person is one who's motivated by compassion. You can imagine that most of the people who work for the Red Cross are sympathetic types. In literature and film, the sympathetic character is the one who is likable or who evokes feelings of sympathy from the audience. The sympathetic character in a romantic comedy is probably the romantic male lead who keeps getting ignored by the beautiful women. Eventually the sympathetic character will get noticed and the leading lady will fall in love with him, then they will live happily ever after.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sympathetic

Her breakthrough role came in 2001 when she was cast as Dawn, the sympathetic and witty receptionist in Gervais and Stephen Merchant's Bafta-winning office-based sitcom.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

Such a sympathetic ear on the task force allowed for activists to push for an extra meeting in October; McCollum made sure to spread the word and ensure an even bigger community turnout.

From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026

Judge Preddy was sympathetic but direct, telling Simpson that until she makes a final decision on custody, the boys must stay with Zhou’s representatives.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

However, Mr. Starritt keeps his leads center stage and ensures that throughout their professional trials and personal ordeals they remain captivating presences and sympathetic enough to root for.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

The men of the 10th Leningrad turned out to be friendly and sympathetic, and were assigned to help train the 587th in battle techniques in their challenging, powerful Pe-2 dive-bombers.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

Related Words

• affectionate
• caring
• compassionate
• interested
• loving
• responsive
• sensitive
• supportive
• thoughtful
• warm