sympathetic

American  

[sim-puh-thet-ik] / ˌsɪm pəˈθɛt ɪk /

adjective

1. characterized by, proceeding from, exhibiting, or feeling sympathy; sympathizing; compassionate.

   a sympathetic listener.

   Synonyms:

   affectionate, tender, kind

   Antonyms:

   unkind, hard

2. acting or affected by, of the nature of, or pertaining to a special affinity or mutual relationship; congenial.

   With their many similar tastes, he found her a most sympathetic companion.

3. looking upon with favor (often followed by to ortoward ).

   She is sympathetic to the project.

4. Anatomy, Physiology.

   1. pertaining to that part of the autonomic nervous system consisting of nerves that arise from the thoracic and lumbar regions of the spinal cord, and functioning in opposition to the parasympathetic system, as in stimulating heartbeat, dilating the pupil of the eye, etc.

   2. Obsolete. pertaining to the autonomic nervous system in its entirety.

5. Physics. noting or pertaining to vibrations, sounds, etc., produced by a body as the direct result of similar vibrations in a different body.

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sympathetic British  

/ ˌsɪmpəˈθɛtɪk /

adjective

1. characterized by, feeling, or showing sympathy; understanding

2. in accord with the subject's personality or mood; congenial

   a sympathetic atmosphere

3. showing agreement (with) or favour (towards)

   sympathetic to the proposals

4. anatomy physiol of or relating to the division of the autonomic nervous system that acts in opposition to the parasympathetic system accelerating the heartbeat, dilating the bronchi, inhibiting the smooth muscles of the digestive tract, etc Compare parasympathetic

5. relating to vibrations occurring as a result of similar vibrations in a neighbouring body

   sympathetic strings on a sitar

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Usage

What does sympathetic mean? Sympathetic means having sympathy—having the same emotions as someone else, especially sadness. Being sympathetic in this way is usually understood to mean that you feel bad for someone because they are in a negative situation. Sympathetic is also sometimes used to mean supportive of or loyal to someone or something, as in The governor is trying to portray himself as sympathetic to the working class. Sometimes, sympathetic is used to describe a person (or fictional character) who you can identify with and care about, as in His political ads try to make him look like a sympathetic figure.  To be sympathetic toward someone is to sympathize with them. The opposite of sympathetic is unsympathetic. Some people use the word sympathetic interchangeably or in overlapping ways with the word empathetic, which means having or tending to have empathy—the ability or practice of imagining or trying to deeply understand what someone else is feeling or what it’s like to be in their situation. However, others distinguish the two terms by emphasizing the importance of being empathetic toward others (feeling their pain) as opposed to being sympathetic toward them (feeling sorry for them). Example: I’ve experienced the same thing, so I’m sympathetic toward them.

Other Word Forms

• nonsympathetic adjective
• nonsympathetically adverb
• quasi-sympathetic adjective
• quasi-sympathetically adverb
• supersympathetic adjective
• sympathetically adverb
• unsympathetic adjective
• unsympathetically adverb

Etymology

Origin of sympathetic

First recorded in 1635–45; from New Latin sympathēticus, from Greek sympathētikós; equivalent to sym- + pathetic

Explanation

A sympathetic person is one who's motivated by compassion. You can imagine that most of the people who work for the Red Cross are sympathetic types. In literature and film, the sympathetic character is the one who is likable or who evokes feelings of sympathy from the audience. The sympathetic character in a romantic comedy is probably the romantic male lead who keeps getting ignored by the beautiful women. Eventually the sympathetic character will get noticed and the leading lady will fall in love with him, then they will live happily ever after.

Example Sentences

But a sympathetic female doctor encouraged her to proceed with the pregnancy, and Iryna gave birth to a healthy girl, Katya.

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026

Still, reading his interviews while on the campaign trail struck a painful sympathetic chord in me.

From Slate • Apr. 18, 2026

The hurt and humiliation behind Hally’s eyes allow us to adopt Sam’s sympathetic attitude toward the boy, even as Beatty refuses to soften the character’s wrathful entitlement.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

Internationally, he ensured the attention of sympathetic observers by hosting and supporting prominent voices on the emerging nationalist right.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

Levi gives me a sympathetic smile, and I can feel my neck get hot.

From "The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl" by Stacy McAnulty

Related Words

• affectionate
• caring
• compassionate
• interested
• loving
• responsive
• sensitive
• supportive
• thoughtful
• warm