sym·pa·thize

[sim-puh-thahyz]
verb (used without object), sym·pa·thized, sym·pa·thiz·ing.
1.
to be in sympathy or agreement of feeling; share in a feeling (often followed by with ).
2.
to feel a compassionate sympathy, as for suffering or trouble (often followed by with ).
3.
to express sympathy or condole (often followed by with ).
4.
to be in approving accord, as with a person or cause: to sympathize with a person's aims.
5.
to agree, correspond, or accord.
Also, especially British, sym·pa·thise.


Origin:
1580–90; < Middle French sympathiser, equivalent to sympath(ie) sympathy + -iser -ize

sym·pa·thiz·ing·ly, adverb
non·sym·pa·thiz·ing, adjective
non·sym·pa·thiz·ing·ly, adverb
pre·sym·pa·thize, verb (used without object), pre·sym·pa·thized, pre·sym·pa·thiz·ing.
un·sym·pa·thized, adjective
un·sym·pa·thiz·ing, adjective
un·sym·pa·thiz·ing·ly, adverb

empathize, sympathize.


4. understand, approve, favor, back, support.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To sympathize
00:10
Sympathize is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
Collins
World English Dictionary
sympathize or sympathise (ˈsɪmpəˌθaɪz) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
vb (often foll by with)
1.  to feel or express compassion or sympathy (for); commiserate: he sympathized with my troubles
2.  to share or understand the sentiments or ideas (of); be in sympathy (with)
 
sympathise or sympathise
 
vb
 
'sympathizer or sympathise
 
n
 
'sympathiser or sympathise
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

sympathize
"to have fellow-feeling," c.1600; see sympathy.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
She made it acceptable to weep and to think simultaneously, to sympathize but
  also to indict.
And one could sympathize with how difficult it might be to acknowledge that
  resentment.
It's easy to sympathize with the challengers, who fear that the new product
  will reduce smokers' incentives to quit.
The reader must be able to view the wolf's horrific urges in an abstract way in
  order to sympathize with him.
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