sympathetic
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sympathetic
- /ˌsɪm.pəˈθɛt.ɪk/
Rhymes with -ɛtɪk
Where it comes from
Mid 17th century in the sense “relating to an affinity or paranormal influence”, from Latin sympathēticus. By surface analysis, sympathy + -etic (“pertaining to”); compare pathetic. Displaced native Old English efnþrōwiende.
adjective more sympathetic · most sympathetic · sympathetick · sympathetical
-
Of, related to, feeling, showing, or characterized by sympathy.
John looked very upset. I gave him a sympathetic look.
Opposite: unsympathetic
-
Showing approval of or favor towards an idea or action.
Similar: approving · Opposite: unsympathetic
- Attracting the liking of others. (of a person)
- Designed in a sensitive or appropriate way.
- Relating to, producing, or denoting an effect which arises through an affinity, interdependence, or mutual association. Sympathetic magic is based on imitation or correspondence.
- A supernatural connection or power resulting from two items having the same form or some other correspondence. (of magic) One of his great enthusiasms was for a "sympathetic" weapon salve, an idea originating in Paracelsus.
- Relating to musical tones produced by sympathetic vibration or to strings so tuned as to sound by sympathetic vibration.
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Relating to or denoting the part of the autonomic nervous system consisting of nerves arising from ganglia near the middle part of the spinal cord, supplying the internal organs, blood vessels, and glands, and balancing the action of the parasympathetic nerves.
Sympathetic innervation involves epinephrine.
Opposite: parasympathetic
noun sympathetics · sympathetick · sympathetical
- A sympathetic nerve.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: commiserative, empathic, empathetic, kindly, likable, agreeable, likeable, appealing, charitable, congenial, compatible, kind, harmonious, harmonic, sympathy, compassionate
Translations
Every language
adj of, related to, showing, or characterized by sympathy
| Español | simpatético, simpatizador |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 同情的 tóngqíngde |
| Português | simpático |
| Français | sympathique |
| Deutsch | mitfühlend |
| Italiano | sensibile |
| Русский | сочувствующий sočuvstvujuščij |
adj relating to part of the autonomic nervous system
| 中文 | 交感的 jiāogǎnde |
|---|
Talk about this word "sympathetic." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/sympathetic. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. sympathetic. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/sympathetic "sympathetic." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/sympathetic.Cite this
@misc{sympathetic_2026,
title = {sympathetic},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/sympathetic},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
