1
as in compassionate
having or showing the capacity for sharing the feelings of another
a sympathetic smile needed a sympathetic listener who would understand her marital woes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in benevolent
having or marked by sympathy and consideration for others
a sympathetic store manager who let us use the telephone sympathetic letters from supporters after the disappointing verdict
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sympathetic
The judge also painted a sympathetic summary of Maitland’s role in NFL history, including his service as head of NFL Alumni and his lack of remuneration from a sport that would grow into a multibillion-dollar juggernaut.
—
Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Dell is her stream's dungeon master, banishing those who don't abide by her terms and steadily rising up the platform's ranks with her sympathetic story and angry-funny screen presence.
—Danielle Parker, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2026
Like several women maligned in the ’90s, Harding was reevaluated in later years, and the sympathetic 2017 biopic I, Tonya helped to rehabilitate her image.
—Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 26 Jan. 2026
Legal challenges to constitutional doctrines underpinning the modern American administrative state wend their way through increasingly sympathetic courts, promising sweeping changes to the ways our most important institutions act.
—Walter Russell Mead, The Atlantic, 24 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sympathetic
Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Dell is her stream's dungeon master, banishing those who don't abide by her terms and steadily rising up the platform's ranks with her sympathetic story and angry-funny screen presence.
—Danielle Parker, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2026
Like several women maligned in the ’90s, Harding was reevaluated in later years, and the sympathetic 2017 biopic I, Tonya helped to rehabilitate her image.
—Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 26 Jan. 2026
Legal challenges to constitutional doctrines underpinning the modern American administrative state wend their way through increasingly sympathetic courts, promising sweeping changes to the ways our most important institutions act.
—Walter Russell Mead, The Atlantic, 24 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sympathetic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sympathetic
Adjective
-
Mahan has described such policies as more compassionate than leaving people to suffer on the streets indefinitely, but advocates have accused him of criminalizing homelessness.—
Andrew Graham,
Sacbee.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Aim to be mindful, compassionate, and respectful, Goldman says, and open the conversation in a kind, non-assuming way.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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We are mostly meant to feel the movie, to allow our souls to be prodded and hugged tightly by this benevolent picture’s generous assessment of the most dangerous animal to ever exist on the planet.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Jan. 2026
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Trump should ask himself whether stirring a hornet’s nest serves any purpose other than pointlessly alienating a benevolent neighbor that is beginning to pad its insurance policy by reaching out to non-hemispheric powers.—
Daniel DePetris,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Wei joins Bridgerton season 4 as Posy Li, Araminta's youngest daughter who's much kinder than her mother and older sister.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Jan. 2026
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Given that Testing couldn’t even crack 80,000 in an era that was relatively kinder to hip-hop on the Billboard 200 — as well as the eight years of false starts and the lack of true pre-release hit — Don’t Be Dumb pulled off something just short of a miracle.—
Carl Lamarre,
Billboard,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Open since 2023, the hotel is a thoughtful restoration of the once-chic but long dormant Union Club, the former gathering place for industrialists and politicians.—
John Bowe,
Travel + Leisure,
1 Feb. 2026
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Nights call for dinner at Beefbar, where prime cuts and thoughtful vegetarian dishes anchor the menu.—
Molly Barstein,
Vogue,
1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Congress and the executive branch must finally come up with an effective and humane plan for the settlement of the many people all over the globe who want to live here.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
3 Feb. 2026
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But that result should occur through a more orderly and humane policy than currently in place.—
A.O. Scott,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sympathetic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sympathetic. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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