sympathize

B2 Topic:Actions & Processes

Also spelled sympathise, sympathiser, sympathisers, and unsympathised

US /ˈsɪmpəˌθaɪz/ See IPA manual

Freq #16194

Meanings

1

verb
To feel or show that you understand and share someone's sadness or troubles.

I really sympathize with you after such a difficult year.
2

verb
To understand and accept someone's feelings or point of view.

I can sympathize with her decision, even if I would have chosen differently.
3

verb
To support or agree with a cause, side, or movement.

Many young voters sympathize with the new party.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Multiword verbs with sympathize

sympathize with Prepositional verb B2

to understand and share another person's distress

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to feel or show that you... commiserate understand

2 verb · to understand and accept... understand

Word family

Forms sympathizedsympathizersympathizessympathizing

Derived forms sympathizersympathizingly

Related forms sympathetic sympathy

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

sympathize with
to understand and share another person's distress

Verb + preposition/particle

Etymology

Borrowed from French sympathiser. By surface analysis, sympathy + -ize. Displaced native Old English efnþrōwian (literally “to suffer with or together”).

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# sympathize

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈsɪmpəˌθaɪz/
**Frequency rank:** 16194

## Meanings
1. To feel or show that you understand and share someone's sadness or troubles.
2. To understand and accept someone's feelings or point of view.
3. To support or agree with a cause, side, or movement.

## Examples
- I really sympathize with you after such a difficult year.
- I can sympathize with her decision, even if I would have chosen differently.
- Many young voters sympathize with the new party.

## Derived Forms
- sympathizer
- sympathizingly

## Related Forms
- sympathetic
- sympathy

## Etymology
Borrowed from French sympathiser. By surface analysis, sympathy + -ize. Displaced native Old English efnþrōwian (literally “to suffer with or together”).

## AI Etymology
Sympathize is borrowed from French sympathiser. By surface analysis, sympathy + -ize. Displaced native Old English efnþrōwian (literally “to suffer with or together”). In present-day use, it can mean to feel or show that you understand and share someone's sadness or troubles, or to understand and accept someone's feelings or point of view. Derived formations include sympathizer, sympathizingly.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

markdown