sympathetic

English

Alternative forms

sympathetick (obsolete)
sympathetical

Etymology

Mid 17th century in the sense “relating to an affinity or paranormal influence”, from sympathy +‎ -etic (“pertaining to”), on the pattern of pathetic. Displaced native Old English efnþrōwiende.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˌsɪm.pəˈθɛt.ɪk/
Audio (US) (file)
Rhymes: -ɛtɪk

Adjective

sympathetic (comparative more sympathetic, superlative most sympathetic)

Of, related to, feeling, showing, or characterized by sympathy.
- 1963, C. L. R. James, The Black Jacobins, 2nd revised edition, page 14:
  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.
John looked very upset. I gave him a sympathetic look.
Antonym: unsympathetic
1. Showing approval of or favor towards an idea or action.
  Synonym: approving
(of a person) Attracting the liking of others.
1. (construction) Designed in a sensitive or appropriate way.
(relational) Relating to, producing, or denoting an effect which arises through an affinity, interdependence, or mutual association.
Sympathetic magic is based on imitation or correspondence.
sympathetic ink
1. (of magic) A supernatural connection or power resulting from two items having the same form or some other correspondence.
  - 1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 225:
    One of his great enthusiasms was for a "sympathetic" weapon salve, an idea originating in Paracelsus.
2. (sound) Relating to musical tones produced by sympathetic vibration or to strings so tuned as to sound by sympathetic vibration.
(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.
Sympathetic innervation involves epinephrine.
Antonym: parasympathetic

Derived terms

antisympathetic
cardiosympathetic
neurosympathetic
nonsympathetic
oculosympathetic
orthosympathetic
oversympathetic
parasympathetic
perisympathetic
presympathetic
somatosympathetic
sympathetically
sympathetic detonation
sympathetic hyperactivity
sympathetic ink
sympathetic nervous system
sympatheticness
sympathetic powder
sympathetic string
sympathetic trunk
sympathetic vibration
sympatho-, sympath-
unsympathetic
vagosympathetic
vestibulosympathetic

Related terms

sympathico-

Translations

of, related to, showing, or characterized by sympathy

Bulgarian: съчувствен (bg) (sǎčuvstven), състрадателен (bg) (sǎstradatelen)
Catalan: simpàtic (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 同情的 (tóngqíngde)
Dutch: sympathiek (nl)
Finnish: myötätuntoinen (fi)
French: sympathique (fr)
German: mitfühlend (de)
Greek:
Ancient: συμπαθής (sumpathḗs)
Hungarian: együttérző (hu), rokonszenvező
Irish: báúil, cásmhar, comhbhách, comhbhraiteach, comhghoilliúnach, páirteach, taobhaitheach
Italian: sensibile (it)
Kurdish:
Northern Kurdish: sîmpasawî f
Latin: misericors (la)
Manx: co-ennaghtagh, erreeishagh
Maori: pukuaroha, pūaroha
Norwegian:
Bokmål: sympatisk
Old English: efnþrōwiende
Polish: współczujący
Portuguese: simpático (pt)
Russian: сочувствующий (ru) (sočuvstvujuščij)
Spanish: compasivo (es), comprensivo (es), amable (es)
Swedish: sympatisk (sv)
Westrobothnian: falkeli
Yiddish: סימפּאַטיש‎ (simpatish)

of a person: attracting the liking of others

Bulgarian: симпатичен (bg) (simpatičen)
Hungarian: szimpatikus (hu), rokonszenves (hu), megnyerő (hu)
Portuguese: simpático (pt) m
Turkish: simpatik, sevimli (tr), şirin (tr)

relational: relating to, producing, or denoting an effect which arises through an affinity, interdependence, or mutual association

relating to part of the autonomic nervous system

Chinese:
Mandarin: 交感的 (jiāogǎnde)
Hungarian: szimpatikus (hu)

References

“sympathetic”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
“sympathetic”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary