commiserate

verb

com·​mis·​er·​ate kə-ˈmi-zə-ˌrāt How to pronounce commiserate (audio)
commiserated; commiserating

intransitive verb

: to feel or express sympathy : condole
commiserates with them on their loss

transitive verb

: to feel or express sorrow or compassion for
commiseratingly adverb
commiseration noun
commiserative adjective

Examples of commiserate in a Sentence

"Did you enjoy your breakfast?" "The eggs were runny." "I know." The woman commiserated. "I was thinking, I should just have barged into the kitchen and done them myself." Alice Munro, Runaway, (2004) 2005
The other potters seemed to slump as one into dejection, all but abandoning their work in favor of long, lugubrious visits to the wine shop, where they commiserated with one another. Linda Sue Park, A Single Shard, (2001) 2003
"I been readin' about it," she said, referring to the recent breakup of my marriage.  … "It's too bad," she commiserated. Arthur Miller, Timebends, 1987
The pain of losing is diverting. So is the thrill of winning. Winning, however, is lonelier, because those you've taken money from are not apt to commiserate with you. David Mamet, New York Times Magazine, 20 Apr. 1986
The players commiserated over their loss in the championship game.
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
In her comment section, other people commiserated over how their IUD insertions had brought the worst pain of their lives. Alyssa Goldberg, USA TODAY, 25 Oct. 2024 Rosa and Yancy commiserate over Izzy’s dead body, and both come to the absolutely logical conclusion that his death was not a suicide. Erin Qualey, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2024 Lavin’s video has been viewed over 2 million times on TikTok alone, which doesn’t include its virality on sites Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) — with thousands of comments either commiserating with her experience or straight-up blaming her for missing apparent cues. Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2024 Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, millions of Americans have commiserated with the plight of Ukrainian refugees who are being forced to flee their country. Ana Raquel Minian, Foreign Affairs, 14 Mar. 2022 See all Example Sentences for commiserate 

Word History

Etymology

Latin commiseratus, past participle of commiserari, from com- + miserari to pity, from miser wretched

First Known Use

circa 1584, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of commiserate was circa 1584

Dictionary Entries Near commiserate

Cite this Entry

“Commiserate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commiserate. Accessed 11 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

commiserate

verb
com·​mis·​er·​ate kə-ˈmiz-ə-ˌrāt How to pronounce commiserate (audio)
commiserated; commiserating
: to feel or express sorrow or sympathy : sympathize
commiseration noun

More from Merriam-Webster on commiserate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!