sympathy

noun sym·pa·thy \ ˈsim-pə-thē \

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 their struggles generate little sympathy among the majority-Buddhist Burmese population.

— ishaan tharoor, Washington Post, "The world’s ‘most friendless people’ are under assault yet again," 31 Aug. 2017
The news of Whiddon’s death Thursday afternoon has been met with an outpouring of grief and sympathy from those who worked with him and knew him personally, as well as those who were fortunate enough to taste his signature dish of shrimp and grits.

— Southern Living, "Charleston Chef Tragically Killed During a Hostage Standoff," 27 Aug. 2017
There isn’t any sympathy or much wiggle room in the NFC East. 3.

— david humphrey, star-telegram, "A team-by-team preview of the 2017 NFL season," 25 Aug. 2017
The Bowen posting triggered thousands of comments online ranging from sympathy with the DOE staff to questions about whether the letter amounted to censorship.

— christa marshall, Science | AAAS, "DOE denies it has policy to remove 'climate change' from agency materials," 25 Aug. 2017
Watching the home team’s lopsided losses was so difficult that my eyes and sympathies were drawn instead to the ballpark’s vendors.

— frank fitzpatrick, Philly.com, "A hot dog vendor's life in the dog days | Frank's Place," 25 Aug. 2017
This fills me with sympathy for the British government.

— jay nordlinger, National Review, "Salzburg Journal, Part II," 22 Aug. 2017
This was a start, but not enough, and Nazi ideas and sympathies endured in the Germany population for years to come.

— jonah shepp, Daily Intelligencer, "What Germany Can Teach America About Addressing White Supremacism," 21 Aug. 2017
During the Civil War, sympathies in Harford County were divided between both sides, as was the case throughout Maryland, and many of the county's leading citizens of the era actively supported one cause or the other.

— erika butler, The Aegis, "Both sides of Civil War represented in Harford courthouse portraits," 16 Aug. 2017

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1579

See Words from the same year

sympathy Synonyms

Synonyms

commiseration, compassion, feeling

Antonyms

callousness, coldheartedness, hard-heartedness, heartlessness

Near Antonyms

indifference, insensitivity, unconcern; cruelty, harshness, inhumanity; animosity, antipathy, dislike, hatred, hostility

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.