Sympathetic
/ˌsɪmpəˈθetɪk/
Definitions
3 meaningsFeeling or showing compassion or pity for another's suffering.
/ˌsɪmpəˈθetɪk/
Feeling, showing, or expressing sympathy or compassion.
The teacher was sympathetic to the student's problems.
💡 Simply: Imagine your friend is really sad because they lost their favorite toy. If you feel sad for them too, and want to help them feel better, then you're being sympathetic! It's like when you understand and share someone else's feelings, especially when they're sad or going through something hard.
👶 For kids: When you understand how someone feels and want to help them.
More Examples
He was praised for being a sympathetic listener.
The nurses showed sympathetic care to the patients.
How It's Used
"She was very sympathetic to my situation."
"The therapist offered a sympathetic ear to her patient."
Showing agreement with or support for a particular idea, opinion, or person.
/ˌsɪmpəˈθetɪk/
Expressing agreement with or approval of someone or something.
The newspaper published a sympathetic article about the new law.
💡 Simply: Imagine two people who are on the same side of an argument or who think the same way. When you understand and maybe even agree with someone's views, you're being sympathetic to their ideas.
👶 For kids: When you agree with someone or like their ideas.
More Examples
The committee was sympathetic to the proposal.
He has a sympathetic attitude towards environmental issues.
How It's Used
"The politician presented a sympathetic view on the issue."
"The author wrote a sympathetic portrayal of the character."
Relating to or denoting the part of the autonomic nervous system that responds to stress.
/ˌsɪmpəˈθetɪk/
Physiologically influenced by the sympathetic nervous system.
The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for the fight-or-flight response.
💡 Simply: When your body responds to stress, like when you're about to give a speech and your heart starts racing, that's your 'sympathetic' nervous system kicking in. It controls things like your heartbeat and how your body reacts when you're excited, scared, or stressed.
👶 For kids: Something that makes your body ready to run or fight when you're scared or excited.
More Examples
The sympathetic nervous system causes the pupils to dilate.
How It's Used
"The drug has a sympathetic effect on the heart."
Synonyms
Idioms & expressions
a sympathetic ear
Someone who listens to your problems with compassion and understanding.
"I needed a sympathetic ear after the breakup."
sympathetic magic
A type of magic that operates on the principle of similarity or correspondence.
"The tribal ritual involved sympathetic magic to heal the sick."
From Greek *sympathetikos* meaning 'affected by the same feeling', derived from *sympatheia* ('sympathy'), which combines *syn-* ('together') and *pathos* ('feeling, suffering').
The word 'sympathetic' has been used since the 17th century, initially to describe things that harmonize or agree with each other. Its use to describe the feeling of compassion became prominent in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Memory tip
Think of someone who *sympathizes* with your pain; they are *sympathetic*.