simpatico

adjective

sim·​pa·​ti·​co sim-ˈpä-ti-ˌkō 

-ˈpa-

1

: agreeable, likable

The Bachelor Duke was a highly simpatico figure, kind, humane, civilized—qualities that it is often difficult to recapture in a historical biography.

—John Martin Robinson

2

: having shared qualities, interests, etc. : like-minded, sympathetic

These two artists are simpatico. Carlson, like Sorolla, works out-of-doors, directly from his subject …

—Kay Mayer

Andrea Sand's group of older mothers are simpatico because of their common age and experience.

—Barbara Hey

With the patronage of a simpatico Reagan, Casey took in hand a diminished CIA and molded it into a high-tech agency …

—William L. Chaze et al.

Did you know?

Simpatico, which derives from the Greek noun sympatheia, meaning "sympathy," was borrowed into English from both Italian and Spanish. In those languages, the word has been chiefly used to describe people who are well-liked or easy to get along with; early uses of the word in English reflected this, as in Henry James's 1881 novel The Portrait of a Lady, in which a character says of another's dying cousin, "Ah, he was so simpatico. I’m awfully sorry for you." In recent years, however, the word's meaning has shifted. Now we see it used to describe the relationship between people who get along well or work well together.

Examples of simpatico in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But in their performance Scott and Seth Avett find the humor and simpatico interest in the song. —David Browne, Rolling Stone, 15 Jan. 2025

Spector, his simpatico director Anna D. Shapiro and a flawless cast of five (well, six, but be surprised by the last) are too smart to promise real peace of mind from any of these divisive, squabbling, confused-by-information yet staunch in their opinions Americans. —Greg Evans, Deadline, 16 Dec. 2024

The five-piece collection, which includes a crossbody bag, a backpack, a duffel, and more is differentiated by its blending of the saddle-quality leather that the brand is known for with a much lighter—but aesthetically simpatico—Italian nylon. —Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 11 Dec. 2024

On this point, Houlihan and I are finally simpatico. —Caroline Framke, Vulture, 11 Dec. 2024

The Malin nearby offers a simpatico complement to Soho House. —Jessica Ritz, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Nov. 2024

For this reason, IACT’s mission and Bridging Austin’s mission are simpatico. —Jimi Calhoun, Austin American-Statesman, 16 Apr. 2024

Still, the two managed to stay simpatico while living in the same house. —Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 11 Oct. 2024

And Butterworth, along with his uncannily simpatico director Sam Mendes, does expert work on the evisceration front, doling out tidbits of decades-old family resentments until just the right moments for the cutting open. —Greg Evans, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Italian simpatico & Spanish simpático, ultimately from Latin sympathia sympathy

First Known Use

1849, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for simpatico

• adagio
• altiplano
• arapaho
• arapahoe
• manifesto
• medicago
• minangkabau
• oregano
• ostinato
• pistachio
• politico
• portfolio

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