Definitions for sympathy
ˈsɪm pə θisym·pa·thy

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:2.5 / 2 votes

1. sympathy, understandingnoun

   an inclination to support or be loyal to or to agree with an opinion

   "his sympathies were always with the underdog"; "I knew I could count on his understanding"

2. sympathy, fellow feelingnoun

   sharing the feelings of others (especially feelings of sorrow or anguish)

3. sympathynoun

   a relation of affinity or harmony between people; whatever affects one correspondingly affects the other

   "the two of them were in close sympathy"

GCIDERate this definition:1.0 / 1 vote

1. Sympathynoun

   (Physiol. & Med.) (a) The reciprocal influence exercised by organs or parts on one another, as shown in the effects of a diseased condition of one part on another part or organ, as in the vomiting produced by a tumor of the brain. (b) The influence of a certain psychological state in one person in producing a like state in another. In the original 1890 work, sense (b) was described as:

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. sympathynoun

   A feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another; compassion.

2. sympathynoun

   The ability to share the feelings of another;

3. sympathynoun

   A mutual relationship between people or things such that they are correspondingly affected by any condition.

4. Etymology: From sympathie, from sympathia, from συμπάθεια, from σύν + πάθος.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. SYMPATHYnoun

   Fellowfeeling; mutual sensibility; the quality of being affected by the affection of another.

   Etymology: sympathie, French; συμϖάϑεια.

   A world of earthly blessings to my soul,
   If sympathy of love unite our thoughts. William Shakespeare, H. VI.

   You are not young; no more am I: go to, then, there’s sympathy: you are merry, so am I; ha! ha! then there’s more sympathy: you love sack, and so do I; would you desire better sympathy? William Shakespeare, Merry Wives of Windsor.

   But what it is,
   The action of my life is like it, which I’ll keep,
   If but for sympathy. William Shakespeare, Cymbeline.

   If there was a sympathy in choice,
   War, death, or sickness did lay siege to it. William Shakespeare.

   I started back;
   It started back: but pleas’d I soon return’d;
   Pleas’d it return’d as soon, with answering looks
   Of sympathy and love. John Milton, Paradise Lost.

   They saw, but other sight instead, a crowd
   Of ugly serpents: horror on them fell,
   And horrid sympathy. John Milton.

   Or sympathy, or some connat’ral force,
   Pow’rful at greatest distance to unite,
   With secret amity, things of like kind,
   By secretest conveyance. John Milton, Paradise Lost.

   There never was any heart truly great and generous, that was not also tender and compassionate: it is this noble quality that makes all men to be of one kind; for every man would be a distinct species to himself, were there no sympathy among individuals. Robert South, Sermons.

   Can kindness to desert, like your’s, be strange?
   Kindness by secret sympathy is ty’d;
   For noble souls in nature are ally’d. Dryden.

   There are such associations made in the minds of most men, and to this might be attributed most of the sympathies and antipathies observable in them. John Locke.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Sympathy

   Sympathy is the perception of, understanding of, and reaction to the distress or need of another life form. According to David Hume, this sympathetic concern is driven by a switch in viewpoint from a personal perspective to the perspective of another group or individual who is in need. Hume explained that this is the case because "the minds of all men are similar in their feelings and operations" and that "the motion of one communicates itself to the rest" so that as "affections readily pass from one person to another… they beget correspondent movements."

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. sympathy

   Sympathy is an emotional response characterized by feelings of pity, compassion, or understanding towards another person or entity, particularly in situations where they are experiencing misfortune, hardship, suffering, or pain. It often leads to the desire to alleviate or reduce such negative experiences faced by the person or entity.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:3.5 / 2 votes

1. Sympathynoun

   feeling corresponding to that which another feels; the quality of being affected by the affection of another, with feelings correspondent in kind, if not in degree; fellow-feeling

2. Sympathynoun

   an agreement of affections or inclinations, or a conformity of natural temperament, which causes persons to be pleased, or in accord, with one another; as, there is perfect sympathy between them

3. Sympathynoun

   kindness of feeling toward one who suffers; pity; commiseration; compassion

4. Sympathynoun

   the reciprocal influence exercised by the various organs or parts of the body on one another, as manifested in the transmission of a disease by unknown means from one organ to another quite remote, or in the influence exerted by a diseased condition of one part on another part or organ, as in the vomiting produced by a tumor of the brain

5. Sympathynoun

   that relation which exists between different persons by which one of them produces in the others a state or condition like that of himself. This is shown in the tendency to yawn which a person often feels on seeing another yawn, or the strong inclination to become hysteric experienced by many women on seeing another person suffering with hysteria

6. Sympathynoun

   a tendency of inanimate things to unite, or to act on each other; as, the sympathy between the loadstone and iron

7. Sympathynoun

   similarity of function, use office, or the like

8. Etymology: [F. sympathie, L. sympathia, Gr. ; sy`n with + suffering, passion, fr. , , to suffer. See Syn-, and Pathos.]

WikidataRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Sympathy

   Sympathy is a feeling and concern. Or it can be the perception, understanding, and reaction to the distress or need of another human being. This empathic concern is driven by a switch in viewpoint, from a personal perspective to the perspective of another group or individual who is in need. Empathy and sympathy are often used interchangeably. Sympathy is a feeling, but the two terms have distinct origins and meanings. Empathy refers to the understanding and sharing of a specific emotional state with another person. Sympathy does not require the sharing of the same emotional state. Instead, sympathy is a concern for the well-being of another. Although sympathy may begin with empathizing with the same emotion another person is feeling, sympathy can be extended to other emotional states.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Sympathy

   sim′pa-thi, n. like feeling: an agreement of inclination, feeling, or sensation: compassion: pity: tenderness: an agreement of affections or inclinations, or a conformity of natural temperament: mutual conformity of parts in the fine arts: correspondence of parts in similar sensations or affections, or the affection of the whole body or system, or some part of it, in consequence of local injury or disease: propensity of inanimate bodies to union or mutual action: the effective union of colours.—adjs. Sympathet′ic, -al, showing, or inclined to, sympathy: feeling with another: able to sympathise: compassionate: produced by sympathy: uniting viscera and blood-vessels in a nervous action common to them all: noting sounds induced by vibrations conveyed through air, &c., from a body already in vibration.—adv. Sympathet′ically.—n. Sympathet′icism, undue disipostion to be sympathetic.—v.i. Sym′pathise, to have sympathy: to feel with or for another: to be compassionate.—ns. Sym′pathiser; Sym′pathism; Sym′pathist.—Sympathetic ink (see Ink). [Gr. sympatheia—syn, with, pathos, suffering.]

The Roycroft DictionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. sympathy

   1. A malady that sometimes afflicts the rich. 2. The lees of the wine-cup offered to another. 3. An impulse toward ourselves through the heart of another. 4. Whatever may be extended to another that does not take the shape of money. 5. The sum of all virtues. 6. The first attribute of love as well as its last. (I am not sure but that sympathy is love's own self, vitalized mayhap by some divine actinic ray. Only the souls who have suffered are well loved.)

The Foolish Dictionary, by Gideon WurdzRate this definition:4.0 / 1 vote

1. SYMPATHY

   Feeling for others; very noticeable in Blind Man's Buff.

Suggested ResourcesRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Sympathy

   Sympathy vs. Empathy -- In this Grammar.com article you will learn the differences between the words Sympathy and Empathy.

Matched Categories

1. • Affinity
   • Inclination

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'sympathy' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #4282

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'sympathy' in Written Corpus Frequency: #4633

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'sympathy' in Nouns Frequency: #1622

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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Anagrams for sympathy »

1. symphyta

How to pronounce sympathy?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say sympathy in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of sympathy in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of sympathy in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

Examples of sympathy in a Sentence

1. Edith Wharton:

   There is too much sour grapes for my taste in the present American attitude. The time to denounce the bankers was when we were all feeding off their gold plate; not now! At present they have not only my sympathy but my preference. They are the last representatives of our native industries.

2. Andrew Cuomodirected:

   On behalf of all New Yorkers, I extend our deepest sympathy toSpc. Abigail Jenks'family and loved ones, we are devastated by her loss and join her fellow soldiers, family and friends in honoring her service to our country.

3. Charleston County Sheriff Al Cannon:

   There's some anger. I don't think we've really started healing. I see more outpouring of love and empathy and sympathy.

4. Emma Goldman:

   No one has yet realized the wealth of sympathy, the kindness and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The effort of every true education should be to unlock that treasure.

5. Gwen Carr:

   That was a real slap in the face. For you to say that there is not a big deal and my son laid dead on the ground, there was no sympathy, no empathy ; it was just business as usual. Eric's life doesn't mean anything to Eric Garners. Eric Garners was just another person that one of his officers had killed.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=sympathy
2. ^ GCIDE
   https://gcide.gnu.org.ua/?q=sympathy
3. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Sympathy
4. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=sympathy
5. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sympathy
6. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
7. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sympathy
8. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=sympathy
9. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=sympathy
10. ^ The Roycroft Dictionary
    https://www.gutenberg.org/files/36566/36566-h/36566-h.htm#:~:text=sympathy
11. ^ The Foolish Dictionary, by Gideon Wurdz
    https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/1989/pg1989-images.html#:~:text=sympathy
12. ^ Usage in printed sources
    https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=sympathy