sympathy

10 definitions • 13 examples

(an expression of) understanding and care for someone else's suffering:

The president has sent a message of sympathy to the relatives of the dead soldiers.

sympathy for I don't have much sympathy for her - I think she's brought her troubles on herself.

to express your sadness to someone because a relation or friend of theirs has recently died:

I went along to the funeral in order to offer my sympathies.

support and agreement:

sympathy with I must confess I have some sympathy with his views.

support:

sympathies are with Of those people questioned, 93 percent said their sympathies were with the teachers.

to stop working in order to show your support for other workers who are on strike:

The railway workers came out in sympathy with the miners.

a feeling or expression of understanding and caring for someone else who is suffering or has problems that have caused unhappiness:

When Robert died, I sent a letter of sympathy to his wife.

a feeling or expression of support and agreement:

She tends to be in sympathy with the left wing of the party.

[ pl ] On the subject of wilderness, her sympathies were clearly pro-environmental.

the act of showing understanding for someone or for a particular situation:

sympathy for sb The prime minister expressed his sympathy for those injured in the attacks.

have great/little/no sympathy for sth Locals have little sympathy for the chemical company following the toxic waste disaster.

to stop working in order to show your support for a group of workers who are on strike :

The airline's ground staff walked out in sympathy with catering contractors.

if prices on a market rise or go down in sympathy with others, they do this as a result of the others rising or going down:

Gilts advanced 23p in sympathy with the overnight rise in US treasury bonds.