Synonyms for sympathetic
- adjective
Most common
compassionate kindly sympathizing good-hearted congenial appealing
Synonyms by meaning
Adjective
1. Compassionate
compassionate, kindly, sympathizing, sympathising UK, good-hearted, kind, benevolent, affectionate, open-hearted, pitying, loving, humane, agreeable, large-hearted, amicable, pitiful, charitable, harmonious, tender, commiserative, tender-hearted, gracious, merciful
Other
empathetic, empathic, feeling, responsive, akin, approving, harmonic, condolent
Definitions
- adj. 1
Of, related to, feeling, showing, or characterized by sympathy.
John looked very upset. I gave him a sympathetic look.
- adj. 2
Of, related to, feeling, showing, or characterized by sympathy. Showing approval of or favor towards an idea or action.
Related words
Example sentences
- compassionate My parents taught me to be a compassionate person.
- benevolent I think most of them are benevolent but misguided.
- sympathizing I have a hard time sympathizing with Tom.
- feeling I am feeling quite pleased about what you've said.
- approving The cook drew approving comments from across the table.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| sympathetic | steady | |
| compassionate | rising | |
| benevolent | steady | |
| sympathizing | rising | |
| feeling | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 4 letters
- kind1, akin2
- 6 letters
- loving2, tender2, kindly2, humane2
- 7 letters
- feeling2, pitiful3, likable3, pitying3
- 8 letters
- gracious2, merciful3, harmonic3, amicable4, likeable3, empathic
- 9 letters
- appealing3, approving3, agreeable4, congenial3, condolent
- 10 letters
- charitable4, responsive3, benevolent4, harmonious4, empathetic4
- 12 letters
- affectionate4, sympathizing4, sympathising
- 13 letters
- compassionate4, commiserative
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (akin2 = 2 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- sympathique
- Italiano
- simpatico
- Deutsch
- sympathisch
- Català
- simpàtic