sympathetic

[sim-puh-thet-ik]

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

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• sympathetically adverb
• nonsympathetic adjective
• nonsympathetically adverb
• quasi-sympathetic adjective
• quasi-sympathetically adverb
• supersympathetic adjective
• unsympathetic adjective
• unsympathetically adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of sympathetic¹

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

Example Sentences

“There have been times when people are extremely sympathetic with his stances, but he’s so combative that they don’t want to ally with him,” Rep. Carl Tepper, R-Lubbock, said in an interview.

Read more on Salon

Bowman and Waller have become sympathetic to the argument for faster rate cuts to help the labor market.

Read more on MarketWatch

However, the viewer should also bear in mind that real boot camps aren’t likely to have such sympathetic superiors — and maybe even fewer of them henceforth, if our so-called Secretary of War has his way.

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Ms. King is uncannily effective at drawing readers into her sympathetic young heroines’ struggles to find the life and romantic partnerships they crave.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

It’s one of those characterizations that is sympathetic, repellent and consistently unnerving.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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

When To Use

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.