Sympathetic Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary (original) (raw)

Britannica Dictionary definition of SYMPATHETIC

[more sympathetic; most sympathetic]

1

:

feeling or showing concern about someone who is in a bad situation

:

having or showing feelings of sympathy

• He received much help from sympathetic friends.

— often + to or toward

• She is very sympathetic to/toward the poor.

2

not used before a noun

:

having or showing support for or approval of something

— often + to or toward

• He was not sympathetic to/toward their cause. [=he did not support their cause]

3

:

having pleasant or appealing qualities

:

causing feelings of sympathy

• The book doesn't really have any sympathetic [=_likable_] characters.
• I didn't find the hero in the movie very sympathetic.

— sympathetically

/ˌsɪmpəˈθɛtɪkli/

adverb

• She sympathetically asked how she could help.
• The character was treated sympathetically.