sympathize
/ˈsɪmpəθaɪz/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈsɪmpəθaɪz/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈsim-pə-ˌthīz/ (ame, mw)
sympathize — verb
- sympathizepresent simple I / you / we / they
- sympathizeshe / she / it
- sympathizedpast simple
- sympathizing-ing form
1. to feel genuine concern for someone who is having a difficult or painful experie
to feel genuine concern for someone who is having a difficult or painful experience, and to show that you understand how they feel
After losing his job, Mr. Okafor's friends sympathized with him and helped him update his resume.
sympathize with + person in a time of hardship
Because her best friend had been through the same illness, Anita truly sympathized with the young cancer patients at the clinic.
sympathize with + person + because-clause showing shared experience
When the family lost their home in a fire, the whole town sympathized with them and donated clothes and furniture.
Whenever a colleague lost a family member, Dr. Patel would sympathize with them and cover their shifts without being asked.
Everyone sympathized with the team after they lost the game by just one point.
- commiserate
more formal, usually involves expressing sympathy in words rather than just feeling it
- feel for
informal, common in everyday speech; 'I really feel for you'
- pity
can sound condescending or imply looking down on someone; sympathize is more respectful
- disregard
to pay no attention to someone's suffering
- be indifferent to
to have no emotional reaction to someone's problems
文法句型
sympathize with + person/situation
用法筆記
Always takes the preposition 'with' when the person or situation is mentioned: 'sympathize with someone/something.' Rarely used in the passive voice ('he was sympathized with' sounds unnatural). This sense usually describes an emotional reaction to hardship or pain, not an intellectual agreement.
常見錯誤
2. to share someone's view or feel that their aims are right, without necessarily t
to share someone's view or feel that their aims are right, without necessarily taking direct action — for example, agreeing with a protest movement's goals or backing a colleague's proposal
Many voters sympathize with the workers' demand for a higher minimum wage.
sympathize with + demand for [goal]
The actress publicly sympathized with the campaign to protect endangered animals.
Although he worked for a large company, the manager secretly sympathized with the striking employees.
Local shop owners sympathize with the plan to make the street car-free.
The journalist sympathized with the activists and wrote articles about their cause in the newspaper.
- support
broader and more active; implies doing things to help, while sympathize can be purely internal agreement
- agree with
more specific to opinions; sympathize also includes emotional alignment
- back
more informal and implies giving practical help, not just mental agreement
- oppose
to be against someone's aims or views
- disagree with
to hold a different opinion
文法句型
sympathize with + aim/cause/opinion
用法筆記
Subject is usually a person or group, and the object is an abstract idea (cause, view, goal) rather than a person in distress — this is the key difference from sense 1. Frequently used in political, social, or workplace contexts.