Word
sympathy
Phoneticssym·pa·thy, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈsɪmpəθi/
UK/sˈɪmpəθi/
Definitions
01pity for others
B2 · Upper Intermediate Uncountable noun
n. the feeling of being sorry for someone who is in a bad situation.
n. the feeling of pity or sorrow for the distress of another person. Uncountable in its general sense, though 'sympathies' may be used in formal condolences.
日本語:同情※
“I felt great sympathy for the families who lost their homes in the flood.”
“The community expressed profound sympathy for the victims, organizing a fundraiser to help them recover from the tragedy.”
Pitfall
I have a lot of sympathy for his ideas.
I have a lot of sympathy with his ideas.
Use 'sympathy for' a person in pain, but 'sympathy with' an idea or cause you support.
Synonyms
Antonyms
02agreement or support
B2 · Upper Intermediate Uncountable noun
n. support for or agreement with an idea, organization, or person.
n. an inclination to support or agree with a particular opinion, cause, or party. Often used with the preposition 'with'.
日本語:共感※
“Many young people have a lot of sympathy with the environmental movement.”
“Despite his official neutrality, the diplomat's private sympathies lay clearly with the rebel forces seeking democratic reform.”
Antonyms
03formal condolences
C1 · Advanced Plural noun Formal
n. formal expressions of sadness sent to someone after a death.
n. formal expressions of regret or sorrow, typically offered to a bereaved person. Almost always used in the plural form in this context.
日本語:哀悼※
“We sent a card to the family to offer our deepest sympathies.”
“The Prime Minister sent his deepest sympathies to the families of the soldiers lost in the recent conflict.”
Usage
Usually appears as 'deepest sympathies' or 'sincere sympathies'.
Synonyms
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “sympathy” in context.
Verb
01. express sympathy for the victims
“The Prime Minister visited the hospital to express sympathy for the victims of the accident.”
verb + noun + prep + noun
02. have sympathy for the workers
“I have a lot of sympathy for the workers who lost their jobs during the factory closure.”
verb + noun + prep + noun
03. win sympathy from the public
“The candidate's personal story helped her win sympathy from the public during the campaign.”
verb + noun + prep + noun
Adjective
04. deep sympathy
“We would like to extend our deep sympathy to your family at this difficult time.”
adj + noun
05. mutual sympathy
“There was a sense of mutual sympathy between the two characters, as both had suffered similar losses.”
adj + noun
Noun
06. expression of sympathy
“The family received many expressions of sympathy from friends and neighbors after the funeral.”
noun + of + noun
07. letter of sympathy
“She sat down to write a letter of sympathy to her colleague who was grieving.”
noun + of + noun
Preposition
08. in sympathy with the strikers
“Bus drivers went on a one-day strike in sympathy with the railway workers.”
prep + noun + prep + noun
Confusables
Sympathy is feeling for someone; empathy is feeling with someone.
RememberSympathy = Support. Empathy = Experience.
Real-World Examples
“The BBC understands the King has written to the families of two officers killed in the crash to express his deepest sympathies for their loss.” “The new king thanked “the government and Norwegian people for their support and sympathy for the royal family at this time”.” “Poor old Emmanuel Fernandez had another difficult experience but there were times when you had sympathy for him.” Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French sympathie, from Late Latin sympathīa (“feeling in common”), from Ancient Greek σῠμπᾰ́θειᾰ (sŭmpắtheiă, “fellow feeling”), from σῠμπᾰθής (sŭmpăthḗs, “affected by like feelings; exerting mutual influence, interacting”) + -ῐᾰ (-ĭă, “-y”, nominal suffix). Equivalent to sym- (“acting or considered together”) + -pathy (“feeling”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
Related words
Domain
- 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
- Common
- Level
- B2 · Upper IntermediateOxford
- Updated
- アルファベット
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/sympathy
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0