Word
sympathizer
Phoneticssym·pa·thiz·er, stress on the first syllable
/ˈsɪmpəˌθaɪzɝ/
UK spelling · sympathiser
Countable noun
Definition
n. a person who supports an idea, group, or cause but is not an official member of it. You use this when someone agrees with others and shows support for them.
n. a person who supports or agrees with a political cause, group, or movement without being a formal member. Often implies moral or ideological alignment rather than active participation.
Examples
“She is a sympathizer of the animal rights movement.”
“The charity welcomes sympathizers who donate money even if they never attend meetings.”
“Although never a party member, the professor was long regarded as a leftist sympathizer because his writings defended its economic reforms.”
Examples
simple
“She is a sympathizer of the animal rights movement.”
contextual
“The charity welcomes sympathizers who donate money even if they never attend meetings.”
complex
“Although never a party member, the professor was long regarded as a leftist sympathizer because his writings defended its economic reforms.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “sympathizer” in context.
Verb
01. arrest sympathizer
“Security forces arrested several sympathizers after the protest turned violent.”
verb + noun
02. attract sympathizer
“The movement attracted many young sympathizers on university campuses.”
verb + noun
03. detain sympathizer
“Authorities detained dozens of sympathizers for questioning last night.”
verb + noun
Adjective
04. communist sympathizer
“He was accused of being a communist sympathizer during the Cold War.”
adj + noun
05. left-wing sympathizer
“She is known as a left-wing sympathizer who supports workers' rights.”
adj + noun
06. nazi sympathizer
“The newspaper exposed him as a Nazi sympathizer with extremist views.”
adj + noun
07. rebel sympathizer
“The army arrested villagers suspected of being rebel sympathizers.”
adj + noun
08. a network of sympathizers
“The group built a wide network of sympathizers across Europe.”
09. a suspected rebel sympathizer
“Police detained a suspected rebel sympathizer near the border.”
10. a sympathizer of the cause
“She never joined the party; she was just a sympathizer of the cause.”
11. attract new sympathizers
“The campaign attracted new sympathizers through social media.”
12. round up suspected sympathizers
“The army rounded up suspected sympathizers after the uprising failed.”
Real-World Examples
“In a thinly veiled attack on his faith, Trump incorrectly referred to the Democrat as “Mohammed El-Sayed” and a “Terrorist Sympathizer,” in a social media tirade on Wednesday.” “The Michigan-born El-Sayed has repeatedly faced Islamophobic attacks while on the campaign trail, with Republican President Donald Trump labelling him an “extremist, terrorist sympathizer” whose history “goes back to the days of the Jihad”.” “The revolutionaries saw this—and a buildup of royal troops throughout Paris in early July 1789—as proof that the king planned to purge his government of all republican sympathizers.” “WASHINGTON, May 27 (Reuters) - U.S. law enforcement and security officials indicated on Wednesday that sympathizers of the Islamic State may be behind over a dozen threats made in the past two days against international flights utilizing U.S. airports or traversing American airspace.” Etymology
From sympathize + -er.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word family
VERB
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
Related words
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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