What does sympathize mean?
To sympathize is to share or understand another person's feelings, especially when that person is experiencing grief, hardship, or injustice. The word can also express agreement with someone's ideas, actions, or goals, so it may describe either emotional understanding or intellectual approval. For example, one might sympathize with a bereaved friend or with the reasoning behind a controversial proposal. Sympathize generally carries a positive, humane connotation because it suggests compassion rather than indifference, although it is often somewhat formal compared with expressions used in everyday conversation. The word is especially useful when the precise meaning matters: sympathy with a person focuses on shared feeling, while sympathy with an idea refers more to agreement with its reasoning or purpose. Its classical roots combine the ideas of being together and feeling together, reflecting both of the meanings that survive in modern English.
verbTo share or understand another person's feelings, especially feelings of sorrow or difficulty. It can also mean to agree with someone's views, actions, or position.
- To share or understand another person's emotions or difficulties.
- To agree with or approve of someone's ideas, actions, or position.
"She sympathized with the families who had been displaced by the flood."
"Many readers sympathized with the protesters who had been treated unfairly."
"Although she did not join the discussion, she sympathized with the proposal."
Its Greek roots literally combine “together” and “feeling,” and English still uses the word for both feeling with someone and agreeing with them.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sympathize come from?
Sympathize entered English in the early 17th century from French sympathiser, which was based on Greek sympathizein. The Greek verb drew on sympathētos, meaning “of or sharing feeling,” and ultimately combined elements meaning “together” with pathos, “feeling.” English later developed sympathetic and sympathy as closely related forms from the same Greek and French lexical tradition.
Related word forms
How sympathize is actually used
The verb is neutral to formal in tone and is especially common when expressing compassion for someone in distress. It can also be used more intellectually to indicate approval of an argument, position, or course of action.
Easily confused with sympathize
Sympathize is a verb describing an action or state of sharing feelings or agreeing with a position, while sympathetic is an adjective describing compassion, understanding, or support.