Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Thesaurus

sympathy

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of sympathy

1 sorrow or the capacity to feel sorrow for anotherʼs suffering or misfortune
  • since losing her own brother to lung disease, the nurse has had greater sympathy for families going through the same agony
Synonyms of sympathy

commiseration, compassion, feeling
Words Related to sympathy

condolence, regret

humaneness, humanity, kindheartedness, kindliness, kindness, mercy, pity, ruth, softheartedness, warmheartedness

affinity, empathy, rapport, sensitivity, understanding

altruism, benevolence, benignity, bigheartedness, charity, generosity, goodwill, humanitarianism, largeheartedness, largesse (also largess), magnanimity, philanthropy
Near Antonyms of sympathy

indifference, insensitivity, unconcern

cruelty, harshness, inhumanity

animosity, antipathy, dislike, hatred, hostility
Antonyms of sympathy

callousness, coldheartedness, hard-heartedness, heartlessness
2 the capacity for feeling for anotherʼs unhappiness or misfortune
  • the least you could do is have some sympathy for me if I have to stay home
Synonyms of sympathy

bigheartedness, charity, commiseration, compassion, feeling, good-heartedness, heart, humanity, kindheartedness, kindliness, kindness, largeheartedness, mercy, pity, ruth, softheartedness, warmheartedness
Words Related to sympathy

feelings, responsiveness, sensibility, sensitivity

affection, love, regard

affinity, empathy, rapport

altruism, benevolence, benignancy, benignity, generosity, goodwill, humaneness, humanism, humanitarianism, philanthropy
Near Antonyms of sympathy

callousness, coldness, disinterest, indifference, unconcern

cruelty, harshness

animosity, antipathy, dislike, hatred, hostility
Antonyms of sympathy

coldheartedness, hard-heartedness, inhumanity, inhumanness, mercilessness, pitilessness

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

Learn More about sympathy

  1. Dictionary: Definition of sympathy Medical Dictionary: Definition of sympathy Spanish Central: Translation of sympathy Nglish: Translation of sympathy for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of sympathy for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up sympathy? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show comments hide comments

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

gargantuan

tremendous in size, volume, or degree

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. cache BuzzFeed reports on Trump-Cohen documents.

  2. intransigence, intransigent Trump cancels Davos trip.

  3. white supremacist Steve King discusses views.

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games