Dictionary
sym•pa•thy
Pronunciation: (sim'pu-thē), [key]
—n., pl. -thies,
—adj.
—
n.
1. harmony of or agreement in feeling, as between persons or on the part of one person with respect to another.
2. the harmony of feeling naturally existing between persons of like tastes or opinion or of congenial dispositions.
3. the fact or power of sharing the feelings of another, esp. in sorrow or trouble; fellow feeling, compassion, or commiseration.
4. sympathies,
a. feelings or impulses of compassion.
b. feelings of favor, support, or loyalty:
It's hard to tell where your sympathies lie.
5. favorable or approving accord; favor or approval:
He viewed the plan with sympathy and publicly backed it.
6. agreement, consonance, or accord.
7. Psychol.a relationship between persons in which the condition of one induces a parallel or reciprocal condition in another.
8. Physiol.the relation between parts or organs whereby a condition or disorder of one part induces some effect in another.
—
adj.
expressing sympathy:
a sympathy card; a sympathy vote. Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
