sympathy

sympathy

a general kinship with another’s feelings no matter of what kind: He sent a sympathy card to the widow.
Not to be confused with:compassion – a deep sympathy for the sorrows of others, with an urge to alleviate their pain: The nurse showed great compassion for the injured children.empathy – ability to imagine oneself in the condition of another; a vicarious participation in another’s emotions: The widow expressed empathy for the woman who had just lost her husband.

sym·pa·thy

S0960000 (sĭm′pə-thē)n. pl. sym·pa·thies 1. a. A feeling of pity or sorrow for the distress of another; commiseration. See Synonyms at pity.b. often sympathies An expression of such feeling: offered her sympathies to the mourning family.2. a. Mutual understanding or feeling between people: "Like two frightened children, we sought at the same time to comfort one another, so quick was the sympathy between us" (Nicholas Meyer).b. Agreement with or support for an opinion or position: The mayor is in sympathy with the proposal.c. often sympathies A tendency to support a position or opinion: a politician of conservative sympathies.3. a. A relationship or affinity between things in which whatever affects one correspondingly affects the other: "Continuous measurements of ionospheric densities ... showed a variation of noon ionization in sympathy with sunspot activity" (E.V. Appelton).b. Physics A relation between bodies such that vibrations in one body cause sympathetic vibrations in another.c. Physiology A relation between parts or organs by which a disease or disorder in one induces an effect in the other.

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[Latin sympathīa, natural affinity, fellow feeling, from Greek sumpatheia, from sumpathēs, affected by like feelings : sun-, syn- + pathos, emotion; see k^went(h)- in Indo-European roots.]

sympathy

(ˈsɪmpəθɪ) n, pl -thies1. the sharing of another's emotions, esp of sorrow or anguish; pity; compassion2. an affinity or harmony, usually of feelings or interests, between persons or things: to be in sympathy with someone. 3. mutual affection or understanding arising from such a relationship; congeniality4. (General Physics) the condition of a physical system or body when its behaviour is similar or corresponds to that of a different system that influences it, such as the vibration of sympathetic strings5. (sometimes plural) a feeling of loyalty, support, or accord, as for an idea, cause, etc6. (Physiology) physiol the mutual relationship between two organs or parts whereby a change in one has an effect on the other[C16: from Latin sympathīa, from Greek sumpatheia, from sumpathēs, from syn- + pathos suffering]

sym•pa•thy

(ˈsɪm pə θi)

n., pl. -thies,
adj. n. 1. harmony of or agreement in feeling, as between persons or on the part of one person with respect to another. 2. the harmony of feeling existing between persons of like tastes or opinion or of congenial dispositions. 3. the ability to share the feelings of another, esp. in sorrow or trouble; compassion; commiseration. 4. sympathies, feelings or impulses of compassion or support. 5. favorable or approving accord; favor or approval. 6. agreement, consonance, or accord. 7. Physiol. the relation between parts or organs whereby a condition or disorder of one part induces some effect in another. adj. 8. acting out of or expressing sympathy: a sympathy vote. [1560–70; < Latin sympathīa < Greek sympátheia=sympathe-, s. of sympathḗs sympathetic (sym- sym- + -pathēs, adj. derivative of páthos suffering, sensation) + -ia -y³] syn: sympathy, compassion, pity, empathy denote the tendency or capacity to share the feelings of others. sympathy signifies a general kinship with another's feelings, no matter of what kind: sympathy with their yearning for freedom; sympathy for the bereaved. compassion implies a deep sympathy for the sorrows or troubles of another, and a powerful urge to alleviate distress: compassion for homeless refugees. pity suggests a kindly, but sometimes condescending, sorrow aroused by the suffering or misfortune of others: Mere pity for the flood victims is no help. empathy refers to a vicarious participation in the emotions of another, or to the ability to imagine oneself in someone else's predicament: to feel empathy with a character in a play.

empathy, sympathy - Empathy denotes a deep emotional understanding of another's feelings or problems, while sympathy is more general and can apply to small annoyances or setbacks.See also related terms for problems.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	sympathy - an inclination to support or be loyal to or to agree with an opinion; "his sympathies were always with the underdog"; "I knew I could count on his understanding"understandinginclination, tendency, disposition - an attitude of mind especially one that favors one alternative over others; "he had an inclination to give up too easily"; "a tendency to be too strict"
	2.	sympathy - sharing the feelings of others (especially feelings of sorrow or anguish)fellow feelingfeeling - the experiencing of affective and emotional states; "she had a feeling of euphoria"; "he had terrible feelings of guilt"; "I disliked him and the feeling was mutual"concern - a feeling of sympathy for someone or something; "She felt strong concern for those less fortunate"kindheartedness, kind-heartedness - sympathy arising from a kind heartcompassion, compassionateness - a deep awareness of and sympathy for another's sufferingcommiseration, pity, pathos, ruth - a feeling of sympathy and sorrow for the misfortunes of others; "the blind are too often objects of pity"compatibility - a feeling of sympathetic understandingempathy - understanding and entering into another's feelings
	3.	sympathy - a relation of affinity or harmony between people; whatever affects one correspondingly affects the other; "the two of them were in close sympathy"kinship, affinity - a close connection marked by community of interests or similarity in nature or character; "found a natural affinity with the immigrants"; "felt a deep kinship with the other students"; "anthropology's kinship with the humanities"mutual affection, mutual understanding - sympathy of each person for the other

sympathy

noun1. compassion, understanding, pity, empathy, tenderness, condolence(s), thoughtfulness, commiseration We expressed our sympathy for her loss.
compassion indifference, scorn, disdain, insensitivity, coldness, callousness, hard-heartedness, pitilessness, lack of feeling or understanding or sympathy2. affinity, agreement, rapport, union, harmony, warmth, correspondence, fellow feeling, congeniality I still have sympathy with this point of view.
affinity opposition, resistance, hostility, disapproval, antagonism, unfriendliness3. agreement, support, favour, approval, encouragement, affiliation, partiality, approbation Several hundred workers struck in sympathy with their colleagues.Quotations
"A fellow-feeling makes one wond'rous kind" [David Garrick An Occasional Prologue on Quitting the Theatre]

sympathy

noun1. A very close understanding between persons:empathy.2. Sympathetic, sad concern for someone in misfortune:commiseration, compassion, condolence, empathy, pity.

Translations

同情同情心赞同

sympathy

(ˈsimpəði) noun1. a feeling of pity or sorrow for a person in trouble. When her husband died, she received many letters of sympathy. 同情 同情2. the state or feeling of being in agreement with, or of being able to understand, the attitude or feelings of another person. I have no sympathy with such a stupid attitude; Are you in sympathy with the strikers? 贊同 赞同ˌsympaˈthetic (-ˈθetik) adjective (negative unsympathetic) showing or feeling sympathy. She was very sympathetic when I failed my exam; a sympathetic smile. 有同情心的 有同情心的sympaˈthetically adverb 同情地 同情地ˈsympathize, ˈsympathise verb to show or feel sympathy to. I find it difficult to sympathize with him when he complains so much. 同情 同情

sympathy

→ 同情心zhCN