sympathise

IPA/ˈsɪm.pə.θaɪz/
IPA/ˈsɪm.pə.θaɪz/

sympathise — verb

  • sympathisepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • sympathises3rd person singular
  • sympathising-ing form
  • sympathisedpast simple

1. to feel sad for someone who is going through a difficult time and show that you

1.verbintransitiveB1
Definition

to feel sad for someone who is going through a difficult time and show that you care about what they are feeling — for example, when a friend loses a family member or faces a serious illness.

Example

Vikram sympathised with his colleague Ada after her cat went missing.

sympathise + with + person suffering

When Chidi lost his grandmother, Jisoo called to say how much she sympathised.

Common collocations
  • sympathise with someone
  • sympathise deeply
  • sympathise genuinely
  • sympathise with loss
  • sympathise with grief
Synonyms
  • commiserate

    more formal; often used in writing or polite conversation

  • feel for

    informal; more personal and emotional

  • condole

    very formal and somewhat old-fashioned; mainly used in expressions of sympathy for a death

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

sympathise + with + person

Usage Note

Frequently followed by the preposition 'with' before the person suffering. This sense is about emotional care, not intellectual agreement — see sense 2 (SUPPORT IDEA) for that.

Common Mistakes

I sympathise your loss.
I sympathise with your loss.
'sympathise' needs the preposition 'with' before the object.
She sympathised me when I lost my job.
She sympathised with me when I lost my job.
'with' is required before the person.

2. to agree with an idea, opinion, or aim and want it to succeed — for example, whe

2.verbintransitiveB2
Definition

to agree with an idea, opinion, or aim and want it to succeed — for example, when you support a political movement, a decision someone has made, or a demand a group of people are making.

Example

Esteban sympathised with the workers' demand for safer working conditions.

sympathise + with + demand / cause

Paloma's parents did not sympathise with her choice to leave university.

Common collocations
  • sympathise with demands
  • sympathise with views
  • sympathise with aims
  • sympathise with a cause
  • sympathise fully
Synonyms
  • support

    broader and more active; suggests taking action to help

  • agree with

    focuses on shared opinion; less emotional than 'sympathise'

  • be in favour of

    slightly more formal; used for policies or proposals

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

sympathise + with + idea/position/cause

Usage Note

Also takes 'with' before the object. Unlike sense 1 (SHOW COMPASSION), this sense is about intellectual or ideological agreement, not emotional care. The object is typically an abstract noun (idea, view, aim, demand, cause) rather than a person.

Common Mistakes

I sympathise your point of view.
I sympathise with your point of view.
'with' is still required.
I sympathise his political views.
I sympathise with his political views.
same rule as sense 1; 'sympathise' always takes 'with'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

'Sympathise' (B1) is the everyday word for expressing care when someone is suffering — it covers both the feeling and the expression. 'Commiserate' (C1) is more formal and suggests a shared sense of disappointment, often used among colleagues or acquaintances ('we commiserated over the rejected proposal'). 'Feel for' (B2) is more informal and personal, focusing on the emotional connection ('I really feel for you'). 'Condole' (C2) is very formal and nearly always used in the context of death or bereavement; you are more likely to see 'condolences' (noun) than the verb itself. For daily use with friends and family, 'sympathise' and 'feel for' are natural choices; in a formal letter of sympathy, 'commiserate' or 'offer condolences' is appropriate.

sympathise ↗commiserate ↗feel for ↗condole

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • sympathise with someone
  • sympathise with an idea
  • sympathise with a view
  • sympathise with a cause

Prepositions

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

'Sympathise' comes from Greek 'sympatheia' (feeling together), via Latin 'sympathia' and French 'sympathiser'. The modern English verb emerged in the 16th century. The 'together' root (syn-) plus 'feeling' (pathos) originally described a shared emotion — both joy and sorrow — but modern use has narrowed mainly to compassion in misfortune.