sympathize

Share another's pain

To sympathize is to share or understand another's feelings, especially their distress or sorrow: I sympathize with what you're going through.

It can also mean to support or approve of something: She sympathized with the workers' demands.

Sympathize emphasizes emotional understanding, while empathize suggests more fully inhabiting another's perspective.

condole

grieve

Feel sorrow over loss

mournGrieve for the dead
consoleComfort in distress
comfortEase or soothing relief

sorrow · loss · bereavement · funeral · condolences · heartfelt · sorry · sadness · tragedy · support

empathize

understand

Grasp the meaning

relateConnect or recount
connectJoin or link
feelPerceive by touch

share · resonate · identify · emotional · vicarious · intuit · perceptive · sensitive · insightful · attuned

compassion

kindhearted

Naturally sympathetic and caring

benevolentDesiring others' welfare
humaneMarked by kindness
mercifulDisposed toward forgiveness

gentle · tender · warmhearted · pitying · soft-hearted · caring · concern · kindness · warmth · sensitivity

agree

accord

Harmony between parties

alignArrange in a row
concurAgree with another
side withAlly oneself with

support · appreciate · resonate · affinity · rapport · like-minded · common ground · solidarity · allied

support

encouraging

Giving confidence or hope

reassuringRestoring calm or confidence
comfortingGiving emotional ease
consolingGiving solace to another

soothing · affirming · uplifting · heartening · bolstering · validating · understanding · advocate · stand by · sustaining

solidarity

unity

Wholeness through cohesion

comradeshipMutual loyalty among companions
fellowshipMutual goodwill among companions
allianceFormal union of parties

brotherhood · sisterhood · camaraderie · collective · coalition · cohesion · common cause · stand together · mutual support · movement

Categories

understandingunderstand, comprehend, grasp, fathom, follow
mental processesthinking, think, reasoning, cognition, pondering
social actionsinteract, communicate, connect, socialize, engage
Connection Wordsconnect, bond, link, tie, join

Opposites

emotional engagement

sympathizeignore

Refuse to notice

disregard · tune out · shrug off · dismiss · turn a blind eye

alignment with another's position

sympathizedisapprove

Judge as wrong

condemn · oppose · denounce · reject · disagree

emotional valence toward another

sympathizedespise

Hate with contempt

hate · loathe · resent · scorn · disdain

Family

sympathizer, sympathies, sympathizing, sympathized, sympathizes, sympathizers, sympathise, sympathised, sympathises

Familiarity: Top 50,000
Profile: Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Abstract · Positive · Everyday, not technical · Rated G