sympathy
the act or state of feeling sorrow or compassion for another:I can do no more than express my deep sympathy for you in your loss.
agreement in feelings or emotions between people or on the part of one person toward another, especially as based on similar tastes, shared understanding, etc.:The characters are odious and self-serving, and neither arouses any sympathy in the reader.
sympathies,
feelings or impulses of compassion: The mayor extends her deepest sympathies to all those affected by the bridge collapse.
feelings of favor, support, or loyalty: It's hard to tell where your sympathies lie.
favor or approval: He viewed the plan with sympathy and publicly backed it.
agreement, consonance, or accord: It's difficult not to have some sympathy with the sentiments expressed.
Psychology. a relationship between persons in which the condition of one induces a parallel or reciprocal condition in another.
Physiology. the relation between parts or organs whereby a condition or disorder of one part induces some effect in another.
expressing sympathy: A sympathy card can be an encouraging ray of light to someone who has recently lost a loved one.Some suspect the nomination was a sympathy vote rather than a true reflection of her qualifications.
Origin of sympathy
1synonym study For sympathy
Other words for sympathy
Other words from sympathy
- non·sym·pa·thy, noun, plural non·sym·pa·thies.
- pre·sym·pa·thy, noun
- su·per·sym·pa·thy, noun, plural su·per·sym·pa·thies.
Words that may be confused with sympathy
- empathy, sympathy (see synonym study at the current entry)
Words Nearby sympathy
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use sympathy in a sentence
Our hosts have plenty of sympathy for the Dodgers, a consistently great team whose time should be now.
LeBron James Won It All Again, So Is The GOAT Debate Finally Over? LOL, No. | Sarah Shachat | October 13, 2020 | FiveThirtyEightAll expressed sympathy for Mallott’s family, given his recent death, and acknowledged that he can no longer tell his side of the story.
The Woman Propositioned by Alaska’s Former Lieutenant Governor Tells Her Story for the First Time | by Kyle Hopkins and Michelle Theriault Boots, Anchorage Daily News | September 10, 2020 | ProPublicaI’m not asking for sympathy, but I don’t think people appreciate the fact that when you can’t walk down the street, you’re going friend or foe.
I’m not asking for sympathy here, but when someone thinks that you don’t care or that you don’t have the best intentions.
My deepest sympathy goes out to everyone who has lost a loved one and my prayers are with those who are ill or suffering.
The moment Melania Trump became ‘mourner-in-chief’ | Claire Zillman, reporter | August 26, 2020 | Fortune
In the view of some cops, perps merit little concern or sympathy.
‘I Can’t Breathe!’ ‘I Can’t Breathe!’ A Moral Indictment of Cop Culture | Michael Daly | December 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBut among ferocious ideologues, similar roots are no guarantee of mutual sympathy when schisms occur.
ISIS and Al Qaeda Ready to Gang Up on Obama's Rebels | Jamie Dettmer | November 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIt would appear that when it came to the bottom line, Washington was not overflowing with sympathy.
In southern Turkey, some local officials in his Justice and Development Party (AKP) express sympathy for ISIS.
Turkish President Declares Lawrence of Arabia a Bigger Enemy than ISIS | Jamie Dettmer | October 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTShe did not weep on cue in public when Monteith died, or seek sympathy.
He turned his eyes upon her; but no sympathy was in their beams; no belief in the semblance of her tears.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4 | Jane PorterShe fancied there was a sympathy of thought and taste between them, in which fancy she was mistaken.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories | Kate ChopinThe feeling for the tiny things probably has in it the warmth of a young personal sympathy.
Children's Ways | James SullyTony, less self-centred, less rigidly contained, had penetrated her by an understanding sympathy greater than his own.
The Wave | Algernon BlackwoodThe gray eyes, once flashing with the light of kindly humor, now softened with sympathy, now glowed with pity.
The Soldier of the Valley | Nelson Lloyd
British Dictionary definitions for sympathy
/ (ˈsɪmpəθɪ) /
the sharing of another's emotions, esp of sorrow or anguish; pity; compassion
an affinity or harmony, usually of feelings or interests, between persons or things: to be in sympathy with someone
mutual affection or understanding arising from such a relationship; congeniality
the condition of a physical system or body when its behaviour is similar or corresponds to that of a different system that influences it, such as the vibration of sympathetic strings
(sometimes plural) a feeling of loyalty, support, or accord, as for an idea, cause, etc
physiol the mutual relationship between two organs or parts whereby a change in one has an effect on the other
Origin of sympathy
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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