Sympathy
n.kind, thoughtfulwarm
What it means
Understanding and concern for another person's difficulty.
Reach for it when naming understanding and concern for another person's pain, loss, or difficulty
His sympathy was matched by practical support.
Choose between these
7- everyday
concern
when care about someone's welfare is the straightforward point
not when Concern can arise from risk or responsibility without sharing their sadness.
- everyday
when practical or emotional help matters more than the feeling itself
not when Support can be offered from duty without genuine sympathy.
- warm
when concern also motivates a wish to relieve suffering
not when Compassion is stronger and more active than every expression of sympathy.
- professional
when entering the person's perspective is the key distinction
not when Sympathy can care from outside; empathy claims a closer understanding of feeling.
- professional
when recognizing the person's reasons or feelings matters
not when Understanding can be intellectual and need not include emotional concern.
- formal
condolence
when expressing sympathy after a death or grave loss
not when Condolence is too specific for illness, frustration, or ordinary hardship.
- literary
when shared humanity or experience creates connection
not when The phrase sounds elevated and may imply more common experience than exists.
Said against
3- indifference
- callousness
- hostility
It naturally appears in
3- deepest sympathy
The association sent its deepest sympathy to the bereaved family.
- express sympathy
Neighbors gathered to express sympathy after the fire.
- gain sympathy
The honest account helped the displaced workers gain sympathy without losing dignity.
Where this comes from
- wiktionary, English noun, feeling of concern for another's suffering sense opens in a new tab · retrieved 2026-07-26
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.