English dictionary · noun

sympathy

feelings of pity and sorrow for someone else's misfortune

Meaning and definitions

1. feelings of pity and sorrow for someone else's misfortune

Connected roots

• syn-

  with, together

• path-

  feeling, suffering, disease

Explore the word family

These words share a recorded root connection. A shared root is a learning clue; it does not establish every step in a word’s history.

• pathetic

  Arousing pity, sympathy, or compassion; exciting pathos.

• empathy

  the ability to understand and share the feelings of another

• pathology

  the science of the causes and effects of diseases

• psychopath

  a person with a chronic mental disorder marked by antisocial behavior

• apathy

  lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern

• pathogen

  An agent that can cause disease, especially an infectious microorganism, such as a bacterium, virus, protozoon or fungus.

• synonym

  a word that means exactly or nearly the same as another

• photosynthesis

  the process by which plants use sunlight to synthesize food

• telepathy

  The capability to communicate directly by psychic means; the sympathetic affection of one mind by the thoughts, feelings, or emotions of another at a distance, without communication through the ordinary channels of sensation.

• pathogenesis

  The origin and development of a disease.

• symbiosis

  interaction between two different organisms living in close association

• synchronize

  to cause to occur or operate at the same time or rate

• antipathy

  a deep-seated feeling of dislike

• encephalopathy

  Any of various conditions affecting the brain.

• psychopathy

  A personality disorder characterized by impaired empathy and remorse, and bold, disinhibited, and egocentric traits masked by superficial charm and the outward presence of apparent normality. Violent and criminal offenses may be indicative of this disorder.

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