Word family noun sympathy sympathizer adjective sympathetic ≠ unsympathetic verb sympathize adverb sympathetically
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsympathizesym‧pa‧thize (also sympathise British English) /ˈsɪmpəθaɪz/ verb [intransitive] 1 SYMPATHIZEto feel sorry for someone because you understand their problems I sympathize, but I don’t know how to help.sympathize with I can sympathize with those who have lost loved ones.2 SUPPORT A PERSON, GROUP, OR PLANto support someone’s ideas or actionssympathize with The public sympathized with the miners’ strike.THESAURUSsympathize (also sympathise British English) /ˈsɪmpəθaɪz/ to feel sad for someone because you understand their problemsIt must be awful for you – I do sympathize.He told me how difficult it was dealing with his parents, and I sympathized with him. feel sorry for somebody to feel sad for someone because they have had bad luck or are in a difficult situationI felt really sorry for him when he lost his job.It’s his wife I feel sorry for – on her own with four kids.understand to realize how someone feels and why they behave the way they do, and be kind to themI’m sure if you talk to him, he’ll understand.It’s important to try and understand teenagers.pity to feel sad for someone because they are in a very difficult situationThe man paled when they found him guilty, and I pitied him.I pity anyone who has to feed a family on such a low income. → See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
sympathize• Archer winced at the joining of the names, and then, with a quick readjustment, understood, sympathized and pitied.• My dear, I completely understand and sympathize, but there's not much I can do about it, really.• This is not so hard to sympathize with, even for those with no experience of addictive drugs.• I also deeply sympathized with George because Lennie had practically spoiled his life yet George never seemed to complain.• She could sympathize with his chagrin but it was hardly enough to keep him awake at night.• It's hard not to sympathize with the plight of single parents in today's world.• So it came about that the manufacturers, merchants, and traders of Great Britain sympathized with the Southern people.• If so, he could sympathize with them.• Anyone who has ever waited in line at the Department of Motor Vehicles will sympathize with this dilemma.sympathize with• The public has sympathized with the firefighters' request for a raise.• I can sympathize with those who have lost loved ones. 