sympathetic
sim-puh-THET-ik
/ˌsɪmpəˈθɛtɪk/
Feeling, showing, or expressing sorrow, pity, or compassion for someone experiencing trouble.
Focuses on providing comfort, agreement, or favorable alignment toward someone in hardship.
The story behind the word. Derived from French 'sympathique' and Latin 'sympathicus', entering English in the 17th century to describe things that felt or vibrated in harmony.
Word relationships
- compassionate: Compassionate implies an urgent desire to take action to alleviate suffering, whereas sympathetic can be passive kindness.
- unsympathetic: Unsympathetic implies coldness, indifference, or disapproval of someone's plight.
Commonly confused with
- empathetic: Sympathetic offers kind support; empathetic feels the precise internal reality.
Word family
- sympathy (noun): Feeling of sorrow for another.
- sympathetically (adverb): In a sympathetic manner.
Collocations
- sympathetic ear
- sympathetic figure
- sympathetic tone
- sympathetic strike
Idioms & expressions
- a sympathetic ear
Example sentences
- "The supervisor was sympathetic when the worker explained his family emergency." Workplace communication
- "She cast a sympathetic glance toward her companion as he struggled to speak." Literary prose
Memory hook
SympaTHETic people say: 'I'm THET sorry to hear that!' Warm feelings extended outward.
When not to use
Do not use if you mean experiencing identical distress firsthand inside your own emotions.
Fun facts
- In biology, the 'sympathetic nervous system' drives fight-or-flight responses, named so because it works in 'sympathy' with emotion.
Related words
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