sympathize

verb

sym·​pa·​thize ˈsim-pə-ˌthīz 

sympathized; sympathizing

intransitive verb

1

: to be in keeping, accord, or harmony

2

: to react or respond in sympathy

3

: to share in suffering or grief : commiserate

sympathize with a friend in trouble

also : to express such sympathy

4

: to be in sympathy intellectually

sympathize with a proposal

sympathizer noun

Synonyms

• pity
• feel (for)
• bleed (for)

Examples of sympathize in a Sentence

I sympathize but how can I help?

Recent Examples on the Web

According to a recent Quinnipiac poll, Democrats sympathize with Palestinians over Israelis by a whopping 43 points. —Nathan Diament, New York Daily News, 7 Aug. 2025

Stefan La-Sky, spokesperson for the fire command team responsible for the Dragon Bravo Fire, sympathized with those impacted by the wildfire but reminded those in nearby communities that firefighting efforts in the region were challenging and were happening 24/7. —Rey Covarrubias Jr, AZCentral.com, 5 Aug. 2025

More than 100 users commented, most of whom sympathized with Chatterjee's situation. —Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 27 July 2025

Many of our family and friends sympathized with us—but couldn’t completely understand. —Gretchen Carlson, Time, 25 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for sympathize

• advertise
• aggrandize
• agonize
• alibis
• alkalies
• alkalis
• amortize
• amplifies
• analyse
• analyze
• anywise
• authorize

Kids Definition

sympathize

verb

sym·​pa·​thize ˈsim-pə-ˌthīz 

sympathized; sympathizing

1

: to share in suffering or grief : to feel or show sympathy

2

: to be in favor of something

sympathizer noun