Definition of sympathy
sympathies
1a : an affinity, association, or relationship between persons or things wherein whatever affects one similarly affects the otherb : mutual or parallel susceptibility or a condition brought about by itc : unity or harmony in action or effect every part is in complete sympathy with the scheme as a whole — Edwin Benson
2a : inclination to think or feel alike : emotional or intellectual accord in sympathy with their goalsb : feeling of loyalty : tendency to favor or support republican sympathies
3a : the act or capacity of entering into or sharing the feelings or interests of anotherb : the feeling or mental state brought about by such sensitivity have sympathy for the poor
4 : the correlation existing between bodies capable of communicating their vibrational energy to one another through some medium
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Examples of sympathy in a Sentence
She went to her best friend for sympathy.
Letters of sympathy were sent to the families of the victims.
My deepest sympathies go out to the families of the victims.
Our sympathies are with them.
There was no sympathy between them.
Recent Examples of sympathy from the Web
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Republicans, not surprisingly, have sympathy for Mr. Spicer.
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Comments on that Facebook post range from those sharing sympathy to those expressing frustration that wild animals are kept in captivity.
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The men and women who live or work in the red-brick tower with slits for windows in downtown Kansas City don’t often generate much public sympathy.
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The death of legendary Allman Brothers co-founder Gregg Allman sent the music industry into despair, with many stars sharing their sympathies on Twitter.
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The novel explores a spectrum of racial attitudes - from sympathy to fascination to outright revulsion.
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Many Israelis view the prisoners as terrorists and have little sympathy for their demands.
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But as the Daily Dot reports, not everyone was pleased with how Kardashian framed her well-wishes: The main criticism of the tweet lies in how Kardashian chose to express her sympathies.
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The movie opens with a bravura sequence set in Pakistan, and the script, by Mr. Bourque and Paul A. Birkett, worthily strives to balance sympathies between American interests and humans written off as collateral damage.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sympathy'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of sympathy
Latin sympathia, from Greek sympatheia, from sympathēs having common feelings, sympathetic, from syn- + pathos feelings, emotion, experience — more at pathos
Synonym Discussion of sympathy
pity, compassion, commiseration, condolence, sympathy mean the act or capacity for sharing the painful feelings of another. pity implies tender or sometimes slightly contemptuous sorrow for one in misery or distress. felt pity for the captives compassion implies pity coupled with an urgent desire to aid or to spare. treats the homeless with great compassion commiseration suggests pity expressed outwardly in exclamations, tears, or words of comfort. murmurs of commiseration filled the loser's headquarters condolence applies chiefly to formal expression of grief to one who has suffered loss. expressed their condolences to the widow sympathy often suggests a tender concern but can also imply a power to enter into another's emotional experience of any sort. went to my best friend for sympathy in sympathy with her desire to locate her natural parents
SYMPATHY Defined for English Language Learners
sympathy
playDefinition of sympathy for English Language Learners
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: the feeling that you care about and are sorry about someone else's trouble, grief, misfortune, etc. : a sympathetic feeling
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: a feeling of support for something
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: a state in which different people share the same interests, opinions, goals, etc.
SYMPATHY Defined for Kids
sympathy
playDefinition of sympathy for Students
sympathies
1 : sorrow or pity for another She felt sympathy for the poor lost puppy.
2 : readiness to favor or support He expressed sympathy for the protesters.
3 : a relationship between people or things in which whatever affects one similarly affects the other
Medical Dictionary
sympathy
playMedical Definition of sympathy
sympathies
1a: an affinity, association, or relationship between persons or things wherein whatever affects one similarly affects the otherb: mutual or parallel susceptibility or a condition brought about by it
2a: the act or capacity of entering into or sharing the feelings or interests of anotherb: the feeling or mental state brought about by such sensitivity
Learn More about sympathy
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for sympathy Spanish Central: Translation of sympathy Nglish: Translation of sympathy for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of sympathy for Arabic speakers
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