sympathy

noun sym·pa·thy \ ˈsim-pə-thē \

|Updated on: 8 Aug 2018

Editor's Note: sympathy vs. empathy

Definition of sympathy

plural sympathies

1 a : an affinity, association, or relationship between persons or things wherein whatever affects one similarly affects the other

b : mutual or parallel susceptibility or a condition brought about by it

c : unity or harmony in action or effect

every part is in complete sympathy with the scheme as a whole
—Edwin Benson

2 a : inclination to think or feel alike : emotional or intellectual accord

in sympathy with their goals

b : feeling of loyalty : tendency to favor or support

republican sympathies

3 a : the act or capacity of entering into or sharing the feelings or interests of another

b : 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

See sympathy defined for English-language learners

See sympathy defined for kids

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

But following Israel's independence in 1948, Irish sympathies inexplicably shifted.

— sean savage, Jewish Journal, "Ireland goes ahead with legislation to boycott products made in Israeli settlements," 12 July 2018
This is the three-second experience of Noah caught on video (thank goodness) and shared by Twitter user @MiaPulido04 that has captured the sympathy and humor of the internet.

— melissa farley, USA TODAY, "Adorable kid drops watermelon. We all feel the pain and relate to the struggle that is life," 2 July 2018
But all the fiery outrage, the planned protests and the outpouring of sympathy and condolences from concerned friends, colleagues and politicians felt suddenly obsolete to Almansoob and many others Tuesday.

— abigail hauslohner, chicagotribune.com, "Muslims grapple with ruling that they believe redefines their place in America," 27 June 2018
Lynch is one of the few Hollywood figures to openly express sympathy or admiration toward President Trump since his rise to the Oval Office.

— jeet heer, The New Republic, "Clickbait headlines mistakenly convince Trump that David Lynch loves him.," 26 June 2018
Who knows if the president will ever be able, in highly controlled circumstances, to simulate emotions like sympathy and compassion.

— jim nelson, GQ, "Trump Is Our Nation's Worst Commander-in-Grief," 21 May 2018
Basketball Twitter felt a mixture of sympathy and confusion for Casey's sudden turn of fortunes.

— matthew vantryon, Indianapolis Star, "Dwane Casey, coach of the year, got fired by Raptors two days after winning award," 11 May 2018
Introduction to Card Making: May 8 at 9:30 a.m. Create four cards: A graduation card, two baby shower cards and one sympathy card.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The Windsor Locks Edition," 1 May 2018
Gilman populates her world with people who engender both sympathy and revulsion at the same time.

— OregonLive.com, "'Luna Gale' takes a hard look at the child services system (review)," 25 Apr. 2018

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.

sympathy vs. empathy

Sympathy and empathy are closely related words, bound by shared origins and the similar circumstances in which each is applicable, yet they are not synonymous. For one thing, sympathy is considerably older than empathy, having existed in our language for several hundred years before its cousin was introduced, and its greater age is reflected in a wider breadth of meaning. Sympathy may refer to "feelings of loyalty" or "unity or harmony in action or effect," meanings not shared by empathy. In the contexts where the two words do overlap, sympathy implies sharing (or having the capacity to share) the feelings of another, while empathy tends to be used to mean imagining, or having the capacity to imagine, feelings that one does not actually have.

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1579

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

sympathy Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of sympathy

attraction, affinity, sympathy mean the relationship existing between things or persons that are naturally or involuntarily drawn together. attraction implies the possession by one thing of a quality that pulls another to it.

- felt an attraction to danger

affinity implies a susceptibility or predisposition on the part of the one drawn.

- an affinity for mathematics

sympathy implies a reciprocal or natural relation between two things that are both susceptible to the same influence.

- two minds in 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

noun

Definition of sympathy for English Language Learners

: the feeling that you care about and are sorry about someone else's trouble, grief, misfortune, etc. : a sympathetic feeling
: a feeling of support for something
: a state in which different people share the same interests, opinions, goals, etc.