American English

How to pronounce sympathy

nounB2Common word
SIHMpuhthee

/ˈsɪm.pə.θi/

3 syllables · Stress the first syllable.

A feeling of care and sadness for someone who is suffering or has a serious problem.

Practice out loud

Meanings & examples

noun

A feeling of care and sadness for someone who is suffering or has a serious problem.

I felt deep sympathy for the family after the accident.

She showed sympathy when I told her about my job loss.

Good to know

In English, sympathy usually means concern for someone's suffering, not simply liking someone. For Spanish «simpatía» meaning that you like a person, use liking or affection.

Common phrases & grammar

deep sympathy · express sympathy · sympathy for victims · a message of sympathy

have sympathy for + person or group

show sympathy for + person or group

nounless common

Support for a person, group, or idea, especially when they are in a difficult situation or are being criticized.

His sympathies are with the local teachers.

She has little sympathy for the proposal.

Common phrases & grammar

political sympathies · sympathies lie with · have little sympathy for a policy

someone's sympathies are with + person, group, or idea

Useful expressions

express sympathy

to show that you care about someone's suffering, especially after a death or loss

The mayor expressed sympathy for the victims.

a sympathy card

a card sent to someone after a death

We sent a sympathy card to her family.

Related words & forms

sympathiesplural

The plural is sympathies, with -ies. It can mean the side or ideas that someone supports.

sympatheticadjective meaning showing care and understandingsympathizeverb meaning to feel or show sympathyunsympatheticadjective meaning not caring or understandingsympatheticallyadverb meaning in a caring and understanding way