Adjacent Words

Sympathy definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

SYM'PATHY, n. [Gr. with, and passion.]
1. Fellow feeling; the quality of being affected by the affection of another, with feelings by the affection of another, with feelings correspondent in kind, if not in degree. We feel sympathy for another when we see him in distress, or when we are informed of his distresses. This sympathy is a correspondent feeling of pain or regret.
Sympathy is produced through the medium of organic impression.
I value myself upon sympathy; I hate and despise myself for envy.
2. An agreement of affections or inclinations, or a conformity of natural temperament, which makes two persons pleased with each other.
To such associations may be attributed most of the sympathies and antipathies of our nature.
3. In medicine, a correspondence of various parts of the body in similar sensations or affections; or an affection of the whole body or some part of it, in consequence of an injury or disease of another part, or of a local affection. Thus a contusion on the head will produce nausea and vomiting. This is said to be by sympathy, or consent of parts.
4. In natural history, a propension of inanimate things to unite, or to act on each other. Thus we say, there is a sympathy between the lodestone and iron.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: 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" [syn: sympathy, understanding]
2: sharing the feelings of others (especially feelings of sorrow or anguish) [syn: sympathy, fellow feeling]
3: a relation of affinity or harmony between people; whatever affects one correspondingly affects the other; "the two of them were in close sympathy"

Merriam Webster's

noun (plural -thies) Etymology: Latin sympathia, from Greek sympatheia, from sympath?s having common feelings, sympathetic, from syn- + pathos feelings, emotion, experience — more at pathos Date: 1579 1. a. an affinity, association, or relationship between persons or things wherein whatever affects one similarly affects the other b. mutual or parallel susceptibility or a condition brought about by it c. unity or harmony in action or effect <every part is in complete sympathy with the scheme as a whole — Edwin Benson> 2. a. inclination to think or feel alike ; emotional or intellectual accord <in sympathy with their goals> b. feeling of loyalty ; tendency to favor or support <republican sympathies> 3. a. the act or capacity of entering into or sharing the feelings or interests of another b. the feeling or mental state brought about by such sensitivity <have sympathy for the poor> 4. the correlation existing between bodies capable of communicating their vibrational energy to one another through some medium Synonyms: see attraction, pity

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. (pl. -ies) 1 a the state of being simultaneously affected with the same feeling as another. b the capacity for this. 2 (often foll. by with) a the act of sharing or tendency to share (with a person etc.) in an emotion or sensation or condition of another person or thing. b (in sing. or pl.) compassion or commiseration; condolences. 3 (often foll. by for) a favourable attitude; approval. 4 (in sing. or pl.; often foll. by with) agreement (with a person etc.) in opinion or desire. 5 (attrib.) in support of another cause (sympathy strike). Phrases and idioms: in sympathy (often foll. by with) 1 having or showing or resulting from sympathy (with another). 2 by way of sympathetic action (working to rule in sympathy). Etymology: L sympathia f. Gk sumpatheia (as SYN-, pathes f. pathos feeling)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Sympathy Sym"pa*thy, n. (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.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Sympathy Sym"pa*thy, n.; pl. Sympathies. [F. sympathie, L. sympathia, Gr. ?; sy`n with + ? suffering, passion, fr. ?, ?, to suffer. See Syn-, and Pathos.] 1. 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. They saw, but other sight instead -- a crowd Of ugly serpents! Horror on them fell, And horrid sympathy. --Milton. 2. 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. Kindness of feeling toward one who suffers; pity; commiseration; compassion. I value myself upon sympathy, I hate and despise myself for envy. --Kames. 4. (Physiol.) (a) 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. (b) 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. 5. A tendency of inanimate things to unite, or to act on each other; as, the sympathy between the loadstone and iron. [R.] 6. Similarity of function, use office, or the like. The adverb has most sympathy with the verb. --Earle. Syn: Pity; fellow-feeling; compassion; commiseration; tenderness; condolence; agreement. Usage: Sympathy, Commiseration. Sympathy is literally a fellow-feeling with others in their varied conditions of joy or of grief. This term, however, is now more commonly applied to a fellow-feeling with others under affliction, and then coincides very nearly with commiseration. In this case it is commonly followed by for; as, to feel sympathy for a friend when we see him distressed. The verb sympathize is followed by with; as, to sympathize with a friend in his distresses or enjoyments. ``Every man would be a distinct species to himself, were there no sympathy among individuals.'' --South. See Pity. Fault, Acknowledged and deplored, in Adam wrought Commiseration. --Milton.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(sympathies) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. If you have sympathy for someone who is in a bad situation, you are sorry for them, and show this in the way you behave towards them. I have had very little help from doctors and no sympathy whatsoever... I wanted to express my sympathies on your resignation. N-UNCOUNT: also N in pl 2. If you have sympathy with someone's ideas or opinions, you agree with them. I have some sympathy with this point of view... Lithuania still commands considerable international sympathy for its cause... She has frequently expressed Republican sympathies. N-UNCOUNT: also N in pl, oft N with/for n 3. If you take some action in sympathy with someone else, you do it in order to show that you support them. Milne resigned in sympathy because of the way Donald had been treated. N-UNCOUNT: oft N with n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Fellow-feeling. 2. Agreement, harmony, correspondence, correlation, affinity, union, reciprocity, pre-established harmony, congeniality, concord, concert. 3. Compassion, commiseration, condolence, pity, tenderness, kindliness, fellow-feeling, bowels of compassion. 4. Mutual influence.

Foolish Dictionary

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

Moby Thesaurus

abetment, accord, accordance, addition, adduction, adjunct, advocacy, aegis, affairs, affectionateness, affections, affective faculty, affectivity, affiliation, affinity, agape, agreement, aid and comfort, allergy, alliance, allurement, amity, an in, anaphylaxis, approximation, assemblage, association, assurance, attractance, attraction, attractiveness, attractivity, auspices, backing, balm, benevolence, benignancy, benignity, bent, bias, blending, bond, bonds of harmony, brotherhood, brotherly love, camaraderie, capillarity, capillary attraction, care, caring, caritas, cement of friendship, centripetal force, championship, charity, chiming, chord, clemency, closeness, combination, comfort, commiseration, communion, community, community of interests, compassion, compatibility, concern, concord, concordance, condolement, condolence, congeniality, connectedness, connection, considerateness, consolation, consonant, contiguity, contrariety, correspondence, countenance, dealings, deduction, delicacy, disjunction, drag, draw, easement, echo, emotional life, emotions, empathy, encouragement, esprit, esprit de corps, exquisiteness, fancy, fascination, favor, favorable regard, feeling, feeling of identity, feeling of kinship, feeling tone, feelings, fellow feeling, fellowship, filiation, fineness, finer feelings, forbearance, forgiveness, fosterage, fraternal feeling, frictionlessness, friendly relations, good graces, good terms, good understanding, good vibes, good vibrations, goodness, goodness of heart, goodwill, grace, graciousness, gravitation, gravity, guidance, happy family, harmonic, harmony, heart, heart of gold, homology, humaneness, humanity, hyperesthesia, hyperpathia, hypersensitivity, identification, identity, inclination, intercourse, interest, intimacy, involvement, irritability, junction, kindheartedness, kindliness, kindly disposition, kindness, kinship, leaning, leniency, liaison, like-mindedness, link, linkage, linking, love, loving kindness, magnetism, mercy, mitigation, musical, mutual affinity, mutual attraction, mutual regard, mutuality, nearness, nervousness, niceness, oneness, oversensibility, oversensitiveness, overtenderness, pardon, partiality, passibility, passions, pathos, patronage, peace, penchant, perceptiveness, perceptivity, photophobia, pity, predilection, preference, prickliness, proclivity, propensity, propinquity, proximity, pull, pulling power, quarter, rapport, rapprochement, reassurance, reciprocity, regard, relatedness, relating, relation, relations, relationship, relief, reprieve, respect, response, responsiveness, rue, ruth, seconding, self-pity, sensibilities, sensitiveness, sensitivity, sensitization, sentiments, sharing, sharing of grief, shred of comfort, similarity, softheartedness, solace, solacement, solicitousness, solidarity, soothing words, soreness, soul of kindness, sponsorship, supersensitivity, support, susceptibilities, sympathetic chord, sympathetic response, sympathies, symphonic, symphonious, symphony, tact, tactfulness, team spirit, tender susceptibilities, tenderheartedness, tenderness, tetchiness, thin skin, ticklishness, tie, tie-in, touchiness, traction, tug, turn, tutelage, understanding, union, unison, unity, vibes, vibrations, warmheartedness, warmth, warmth of heart