ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Sympathetic

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /ˌsɪm.pəˈθɛt.ɪk/ · Part of speech adjective

Quick meaning: Sympathetic is an adjective meaning Of, related to, feeling, showing, or characterized by sympathy.

Meaning

Of, related to, feeling, showing, or characterized by sympathy.

More Meanings

  1. Attracting the liking of others. (of a person)
  2. (relational) Relating to, producing, or denoting an effect which arises through an affinity, interdependence, or mutual association.
  3. (neuroanatomy) A sympathetic nerve.
  4. (neuroanatomy, neurology, relational) 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.

Example Sentences

sympathetic ink
Sympathetic innervation involves epinephrine.
John looked very upset. I gave him a sympathetic look.
Sympathetic magic is based on imitation or correspondence.

Word Forms

Synonyms for sympathetic

Depending on context, synonyms include congenial, empathetic, kind, appealing, harmonious, charitable.

Antonyms for sympathetic

Common opposites include unsympathetic, parasympathetic, unappealing, unlikeable.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include commiserative, empathic, empathetic, kindly, likable, agreeable.

Related Dictionary Tools

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.