sympathetic
adjective (UNDERSTANDING) /ˌsɪm.pəˈθet.ɪk/
/-ˈθet̬-/ Definition
B2 describes someone who shows, especially by what they say, that they understand and care about someone's suffering: He suffers from back trouble too, so he was very sympathetic about my problem. She just needed someone who would lend a sympathetic ear to her (= listen to her in a kind and understanding way) once in a while. → Opposite unsympatheticSympathy and compassion › If a character in a book or film is sympathetic, they are described or shown in such a way that you are able to understand their feelings and the reasons for their actions, and so you like them: She comes across as a more sympathetic character in the film.Empathy and sensitivitySympathy and compassionCharacters in literature and film sympathetically /-ɪ.kəl.i/ adverb › She listened sympathetically, nodding her head now and again.Sympathy and compassion
(Definition of sympathetic adjective (UNDERSTANDING) from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus
© Cambridge University Press)
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Synonyms and related words:
- a good listener idiom
- a shoulder to cry on idiom
- bad/hard/tough luck! idiom
- better luck next time idiom
- bleeding heart noun
- fellow feeling noun
- go out to sb phrasal verb
- hard luck! idiom
- hard/tough cheese! idiom
- heartrending adjective
- pitiful adjective
- pity noun
- pity verb
- poor adjective (DESERVING SYMPATHY)
- relate to sb phrasal verb
- sympathize verb (UNDERSTAND)
- sympathy noun (UNDERSTANDING)
- too bad idiom
- your heart aches idiom
- your heart goes out to sb idiom
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Sympathy & compassion
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