sympathize
/ˈsɪmpəθaɪz/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈsɪmpəθaɪz/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈsim-pə-ˌthīz/ (ame, mw)
sympathize — 動詞
- 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
同情
理解並關心他人的痛苦
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.
Okafor 先生失業後，朋友們都很同情他，還幫他更新履歷。
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.
Anita 因為最好的朋友也經歷過同樣的疾病，所以她非常同情診所裡那些年輕的癌症病患。
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.
那家人因為火災失去房子時，全鎮的人都同情他們，捐了衣服和家具。
Whenever a colleague lost a family member, Dr. Patel would sympathize with them and cover their shifts without being asked.
每當有同事失去親人，Patel 醫師就會對他們表達同情，並主動幫忙代班。
Everyone sympathized with the team after they lost the game by just one point.
球隊以一分之差輸掉比賽後，每個人都很同情他們。
- 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
支持
贊同某人的觀點或目標
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.
許多選民都支持勞工調高最低工資的要求。
sympathize with + demand for [goal]
The actress publicly sympathized with the campaign to protect endangered animals.
那位女演員公開支持保護瀕危動物的運動。
Although he worked for a large company, the manager secretly sympathized with the striking employees.
儘管在大公司上班，那位經理私下其實很支持罷工的員工。
Local shop owners sympathize with the plan to make the street car-free.
當地的店家老闆都支持將這條街改為行人專用區的計畫。
The journalist sympathized with the activists and wrote articles about their cause in the newspaper.
那位記者支持社運人士的主張，在報紙上報導了他們的訴求。
- 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.