sympathise
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb (Intransitive):
- To feel or express sympathy, compassion, or sorrow for someone else's misfortune or situation.
- To be understanding of or in agreement with a feeling, opinion, or aim.
Usage and Examples
- Verb:
- I deeply sympathise with you after hearing about your loss. (To feel sorrow for another's misfortune.)
- While I don't agree with his methods, I sympathise with his goals. (To be in agreement with or understanding of an aim.)
- She listened quietly, nodding to show she sympathised. (To express understanding.)
Advanced Usage
- "to sympathise with": This is the standard construction. The preposition "with" is almost always used to connect the subject to the person, cause, or feeling.
- It is hard to sympathise with such a cruel character.
- Many voters sympathised with the party's environmental policies.
Variants and Related Words
- Sympathiser (noun): A person who sympathises, especially with a cause or party.
- He was known to be a sympathiser of the movement.
- Sympathising (adjective/participle): Describing an action or expression of sympathy.
- She gave him a sympathising look.
Synonyms
- Commiserate: To express sympathy or sorrow jointly with someone (often implies shared experience).
- Empathise: To understand and share the feelings of another (often deeper, involving stepping into their perspective).
- Pity: To feel sorrow for the distress of another (can sometimes imply a sense of superiority).
- Understand: To comprehend the nature or feelings of another.
Related Phrases
- "To offer one's sympathies": A formal phrase for expressing sympathy.
- Please offer my sympathies to the entire family.
Verb
- be understanding of
- You don't need to explain--I understand!
- to feel or express sympathy or compassion
- share the feelings of; understand the sentiments of