Sympathetic
adj.kind, thoughtfulwarm
What it means
Showing understanding and caring concern for another person's difficulty or feeling.
Reach for it when praising a listener or response that recognizes distress without taking it over
The sympathetic manager listened to the full account before discussing the missed shift.
Choose between these
8- everyday
when grasping the person's circumstances reduces judgment
not when Understanding can be intellectual and need not include emotional concern.
- warm
when ongoing concern for well-being matters
not when Care can exist without understanding this particular difficulty.
- warm
when concern includes a strong wish to relieve suffering
not when Compassion is deeper and more action-oriented than every sympathetic response.
- warm
when concern shapes courteous action
not when Consideration may follow manners or foresight rather than shared feeling.
- professional
when entering or accurately grasping another's felt perspective is central
not when Empathy need not include agreement or the benevolent concern of sympathy.
- professional
when willingness to hear the concern is all that is known
not when Listening openly does not yet establish sympathetic feeling.
- professional
when practical or emotional help strengthens the person
not when Support can be effective without the helper feeling sympathy.
- formal
when treatment protects dignity and minimizes suffering
not when Humane is a standard of conduct and may sound impersonal in a card.
Said against
3- unsympathetic
- callous
- indifferent
It naturally appears in
3- sympathetic person
A sympathetic person, Nelu made room for both anger and embarrassment.
- sympathetic ear
The exhausted volunteer needed a sympathetic ear before considering solutions.
- sympathetic response
Her sympathetic response acknowledged the fear without promising an easy outcome.