- kind to somebody who is hurt or sad; showing that you understand and care about their problems
- a sympathetic listener
- a sympathetic response
- She was very sympathetic when I was sick.
- sympathetic to/towards somebody I did not feel at all sympathetic towards Kate.
- I'm here if you need a sympathetic ear (= somebody to talk to about your problems).
Extra ExamplesTopics Personal qualitiesb2- His aggressive attitude makes me less sympathetic to his plight.
- I found the doctors quite sympathetic.
- My boss is being very sympathetic about my problems.
- Her attitude to my situation was less than sympathetic.
- She made suitably sympathetic noises down the phone.
- a patient and deeply sympathetic man
- He was a sympathetic and supportive friend.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- appear
- be
- feel
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
- about
- to
- towards/toward
- …
- showing that you approve of somebody/something or that you share their views and are willing to support them
- He was speaking to a highly sympathetic audience.
- sympathetic to/towards somebody/something to be sympathetic to the party’s aims
- Russian newspapers are largely sympathetic to the president.
Extra ExamplesTopics Opinion and argumentc1- He'd written a not entirely sympathetic article in the ‘Globe’.
- The government is broadly sympathetic to our ideas.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- appear
- be
- feel
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
- about
- to
- towards/toward
- …
- (of a person) easy to like
- a sympathetic character in a novel
- I don't find her a very sympathetic person.
- The character's faults actually make him more sympathetic.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- appear
- be
- feel
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
- about
- to
- towards/toward
- …
Word Originmid 17th cent. (in the sense ‘relating to an affinity or paranormal influence’): from sympathy, on the pattern of pathetic.
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sympathetic