Dictionary

sympathy en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈsɪm.pə.θi/ (Australia, Canada, UK, US)
• (California) audio
• /ˈsəm.pə.θi/ (New-Zealand)

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French sympathie, from Late Latin sympathīa (“feeling in common”), from Ancient Greek σῠμπᾰ́θειᾰ (sŭmpắtheiă, “fellow feeling”), from σῠμπᾰθής (sŭmpăthḗs, “affected by like feelings; exerting mutual influence, interacting”) + -ῐᾰ (-ĭă, “-y”, nominal suffix). Equivalent to sym- (“acting or considered together”) + -pathy (“feeling”).

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) A feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another.
   • And all told, Trump’s second term has actually led to the most sympathy for migrants on record in the 21st century, per Gallup. Fully 79% of Americans now say immigration is a “good thing,” compared with 64% last year. 2025 July 13, Aaron Blake, “Trump’s mass deportation is backfiring”, in CNN, archived from the original on 17 Jul 2025:
   • If you want sympathy you’ll find it in the dictionary between shit and syphilis. Sympathy may pay well in the short term, but if you cash in on sympathy, it will take everything from you in the long run. 2018, Sergeant first class Greg Stube, Conquer Anything: A Green Beret’s Guide to Building Your A-Team:
2. (countable, in-plural, uncountable) A feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another. ▸ The formal expression of pity or sorrow for someone else's misfortune.
   • While you'll probably have her sympathies if your condominium association wants to preapprove your storm door, you'll need to work harder for her support if your boss at the music megastore demands you grow a goatee to help lend the place some indie cred. 2004 September 10, Edward Tverdek, “When Libertarians Go Shopping”, in Chicago Reader:
3. (countable, uncountable) A feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another. ▸ The ability to share the feelings of another.
4. (countable, uncountable) Inclination to think or feel alike; emotional or intellectual accord; common feeling.
   • Oh vvhat a ſimpathie of vvoe is this, / As farre from helpe, as Lymbo is from bliſſe. c. 1588–1593 (date written), [William Shakespeare], The Most Lamentable Romaine Tragedie of Titus Andronicus: […] (First Quarto), London: […] Iohn Danter, and are to be sold by Edward White & Thomas Millington, […], published 1594, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i], signature F, recto:
5. (countable, in-plural, uncountable) Inclination to think or feel alike; emotional or intellectual accord; common feeling. ▸ Support in the form of shared feelings or opinions.
6. (countable, uncountable) Inclination to think or feel alike; emotional or intellectual accord; common feeling. ▸ Feeling of loyalty; tendency towards, agreement with or approval of an opinion or aim; a favorable attitude.
   • Many people in Hollywood were blacklisted merely because they were suspected of Communist sympathies.
7. (countable, uncountable) An affinity, association or mutual relationship between people or things such that they are correspondingly affected by any condition.
   • The solution to coach riding defects, at least, seems to require much more co-operative practical experiment by all engineering departments to achieve better sympathy between the vehicle body, its undercarriage and the track on which it rides. 1960 December, “The riding of B.R. coaches”, in Trains Illustrated, page 706:
   • He observed, also, the frequent sympathy of volcanic and terremotive action in remote districts of the earth's surface, thus showing how deeply seated must be the cause of these convulsions. 1858, William Whewell, History of the Inductive Sciences:
   • A peculiarity of were-animals is the sympathy that exists between their animal form and that of the human with whom it is connected. 1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 121:
   • Sympathy likened anything to anything else in universal attraction, e.g. the fate of men to the course of the planets. 1997, Chris Horrocks, “The Renaissance Episteme”, in Introducing Foucault, Totem Books; Icon Books, →ISBN, page 67:
8. (countable, uncountable) An affinity, association or mutual relationship between people or things such that they are correspondingly affected by any condition. ▸ Mutual or parallel susceptibility or a condition brought about by it.
9. (countable, uncountable) An affinity, association or mutual relationship between people or things such that they are correspondingly affected by any condition. ▸ Artistic harmony, as of shape or colour in a painting.

Forms

Antonyms

dissympathy · contempt · antipathy · apathy

Deriveds

sympatho- · unsympathy · sympathetic · dissympathy · mechanical sympathy · sympathy card · sympathy verdict · sympath- · nonsympathy · sympathy strike · himpathy · sympathist · powder of sympathy · sympathism · sympathy is between shit and syphilis · sympathise · sympathize

Synonyms

pity · pity · pity · compassion · sympathy · mercy · empathy · commiseration · bowels · pity · loving-kindness · tenderheartedness · fellow feeling · pity · compassion · pity · empathy · rue · empathy · bowels · remorse · sympathy · compassion · ruth · commiseration · loving-kindness · tenderheartedness · ruth · commiseration · tenderheartedness · rue · fellow feeling · sympathy · compassion · compassion · compassion · fellow feeling · remorse · remorse · ruth · mercy · bowels · rue · mercy · loving-kindness

Translations (127)

hi सहानुभूति (ability to share the feelings of another; empathy) · ml അനുകമ്പ (ability to share the feelings of another; empathy) · is samúð (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · sv empati (ability to share the feelings of another; empathy) · de Empathie (ability to share the feelings of another; empathy) · sh suosjećaj (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · cmn 同感 (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · es compasión (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · he אהדה (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · nv įįh (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · hu együttérzés (ability to share the feelings of another; empathy) · ru сочу́вствие (ability to share the feelings of another; empathy) · ca compassió (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · fi myötäeläminen (ability to share the feelings of another; empathy) · pt compaixão (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · sv deltagande (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · fi sympatia (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · it empatia (ability to share the feelings of another; empathy) · gv co-ennaghtyn (ability to share the feelings of another; empathy) · fr sympathie (ability to share the feelings of another; empathy) · fi osanotto (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · el συμπάθεια (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · fo samkensla (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · nn medkjensle (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · sh саосећај (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · fr empathie (ability to share the feelings of another; empathy) · tl awa (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · io afineso (mutual relationship) · bg взаимно разбиране (mutual relationship) · io empatio (ability to share the feelings of another; empathy) · gv co-choe (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · cy cydymdeimlad (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · ro empatie (ability to share the feelings of another; empathy) · gv co-ennaghtyn (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · de Mitleid (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · el συμπάθεια (ability to share the feelings of another; empathy) · pl współczucie (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · vi thông cảm (ability to share the feelings of another; empathy) · ga dáimh (mutual relationship) · nl sympathie (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · es afinidad (mutual relationship) · nn medynk (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · hy համակրանք (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · cs soucit (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · hu rokonszenv (mutual relationship) · io kompato (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · de Mitgefühl (ability to share the feelings of another; empathy) · hi संवेदना (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · grc συμπάθεια (ability to share the feelings of another; empathy) · de Einfühlungsvermögen (ability to share the feelings of another; empathy) · gv erreeish (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · ro compasiune (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · bg състрадание (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · tr sempati (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · ml സഹതാപം (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · fr condoléance (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · cmn 同理心 (ability to share the feelings of another; empathy) · sh saosećaj (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · de Mitgefühl (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · da sympati (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · fr sympathie (mutual relationship) · tl simpatya (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · it compassione (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · sh суосјећај (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · ro compătimire (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · hu részvét (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · ja 同情 (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · ja 共感 (ability to share the feelings of another; empathy) · ja 交感 (ability to share the feelings of another; empathy) · fi empatia (ability to share the feelings of another; empathy) · la compassio (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · eo simpatio (ability to share the feelings of another; empathy) · ca empatia (ability to share the feelings of another; empathy) · sq keqardhje (ability to share the feelings of another; empathy) · ja 共鳴 (ability to share the feelings of another; empathy) · hu [4] rokonszenv (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · ar تَعَاطُف (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · io simpatio (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · pl sympatia (mutual relationship) · nb sympati (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · sv sympati (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · cmn 同情 (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · ca simpatia (mutual relationship) · pt afinidade (mutual relationship) · cs empatie (ability to share the feelings of another; empathy) · es empatía (ability to share the feelings of another; empathy) · ms timbang rasa (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · uk співчуття́ (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · ru сострада́ние (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · cs soustrast (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · da medfølelse (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · hi सहानुभूति (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · ro simpatie (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · bg симпатия (ability to share the feelings of another; empathy) · grc συμπάθεια (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · pt empatia (ability to share the feelings of another; empathy) · fr compassion (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · bg съчувствие (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · id simpati (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · ia sympathia (ability to share the feelings of another; empathy) · ang efnþrōwung (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · de Sympathie (mutual relationship) · nn sympati (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · ga bá (mutual relationship) · hu [1-2] együttérzés (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · nl medelijden (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · pdt Metfeelen (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · fr sympathie (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · sa दया (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · ru сочу́вствие (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · nb medfølelse (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · ar حُنُو (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · hi संवेदना (ability to share the feelings of another; empathy) · mi pukuaroha (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · ru симпа́тия (mutual relationship) · nb medlidenhet (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · cmn 同情心 (ability to share the feelings of another; empathy) · da deltagelse (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · is samhygð (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · eo kunsento (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · id empati (ability to share the feelings of another; empathy) · sv medkänsla (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · ar عَطْف (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · ia compassion (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · vi thương cảm (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · fi myötätunto (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion) · sw juruma (feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another — see also compassion)