sympathize

especially British, sym·pa·thise

[sim-puh-thahyz]

verb (used without object)

sympathized, sympathizing 

1. to be in sympathy or agreement of feeling; share in a feeling (often followed bywith ).

2. to feel a compassionate sympathy, as for suffering or trouble (often followed bywith ).

3. to express sympathy or condole (often followed bywith ).

4. to be in approving accord, as with a person or cause.

   to sympathize with a person's aims.

   Synonyms: support, back, favor, approve, understand

5. to agree, correspond, or accord.

sympathize

/ ˈsɪmpəˌθaɪz /

verb

1. to feel or express compassion or sympathy (for); commiserate

   he sympathized with my troubles

2. to share or understand the sentiments or ideas (of); be in sympathy (with)

Other Word Forms

• sympathizer noun
• sympathizingly adverb
• nonsympathizing adjective
• nonsympathizingly adverb
• presympathize verb (used without object)
• unsympathized adjective
• unsympathizing adjective
• unsympathizingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of sympathize¹

First recorded in 1580–90; from Middle French sympathiser; from sympath(ie) sympathy + -iser -ize

Example Sentences

We’ve long been sold fables about robots yearning to be more human — to love us, guard us and sympathize with us before replacing us.

From Salon

I didn’t quite feel as indulgent toward Josh, but not because I didn’t sympathize with his struggles.

From Los Angeles Times

And yet I sympathize — and even agree — with what Gonzalez was really getting at, as imperfect and bumbling as she was.

From Los Angeles Times

In the general population, more Americans, 46% sympathize more with Israelis, compared to 33% who sympathize more with Palestinians, though sympathies have been shifting away from Israelis and towards Palestinians in recent years.

From Salon

Today’s conservative convolutions are sometimes pathetic enough to make me almost sympathize with religious escapism.

From Salon

Related Words

• commiserate 
• comprehend 

When To Use

What does sympathize mean?

To sympathize with someone is to feel sympathy for them—to share their emotions, especially sadness.This is usually understood to mean that you feel bad for them because they are in a negative situation.The word sympathize can also mean to offer one’s sympathies or condolences, such as to someone who is in mourning.Sympathize also sometimes means to be supportive of or loyal to someone or something, such as a leader or cause, as in Many working class voters sympathize with the senator’s platform. The word sympathizer is especially used to refer to someone who sympathizes in this way.Someone who sympathizes can be described as sympathetic. Sympathetic can also be used to describe someone who causes you to sympathize with them.Some people use the word sympathize interchangeably or in overlapping ways with the word empathize, which means to have empathy—to imagine or try to deeply understand what someone is feeling or what it’s like to be in their situation. However, others distinguish the two terms by emphasizing the importance of empathizing with others (feeling their pain) as opposed to sympathizing with them (feeling sorry for them).Example: I’ve experienced the same thing, so I can sympathize.