Sympathise

Sympathise is a verb meaning to feel or express sympathy for another person’s situation, to share in their feelings of sorrow or concern, or more broadly to agree with or support a view or situation. In British English it is spelled sympathise, while American English uses sympathize. The related noun is sympathy and the adjective is sympathetic.

Etymology traces sympathise to the Greek roots sun- “together” and pathos “feeling,” passed into English through Latin and Old French development. The verb form with the suffix -ize is a common way English creates verbs from nouns and adjectives, giving the sense of making oneself share or participate in the feeling.

Usage and nuance: sympathise with someone typically means to understand and share their feelings of distress or trouble, or to offer comfort. When used with a preposition, one often says “sympathise with [a person]” or “sympathise with [a group or cause],” meaning to approve or feel alignment with their situation or viewpoint. Sympathise is not identical to empathise; sympathy emphasizes sharing feeling and offering support, while empathy more often stresses stepping into another’s perspective and experience.

Spelling and style: followers of British English use sympathise; those following American conventions write sympathize. In both varieties, the word commonly collocates with with (to someone’s situation) and with (a cause or position). Examples include, “I sympathise with those affected” and, “She sympathised with his difficulties.”