Sympathetic
/ˌsɪm.pəˈθɛt.ɪk/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjOf, related to, feeling, showing, or characterized by sympathy.
adjOf, related to, feeling, showing, or characterized by sympathy., Showing approval of or favor towards an idea or action.
Sentence Examples
He's sympathetic to our plan.
The girl and her parents were very sympathetic.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
When I told her about my sadness, she was very ____ and gave me a hug.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
She was very ____ toward her friend who was going through a very difficult time in her personal life today.
Word Origin & History
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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Vaublanc, in San Domingo so sympathetic to the sorrows of labour in France, had to fly from Paris in August, 1792, to escape the wrath of the French workers."
— 1963, C. L. R. James, The Black Jacobins, 2nd revised edition, page 14:
"One of his great enthusiasms was for a "sympathetic" weapon salve, an idea originating in Paracelsus."
— 1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 225:
"It was suggested that adrenaline might act at the junction of sympathetic nerves and the effector organs, and that adrenaline might be released at sympathetic nerve endings."
— 1967, Leslie L. Iversen, The Uptake and Storage of Noradrenaline in Sympathetic Nerves, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 23:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
When I told her about my sadness, she was very ____ and gave me a hug.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
She was very ____ toward her friend who was going through a very difficult time in her personal life today.