Princeton's WordNet(3.58 / 14 votes)Rate this definition:

1. sympathetic(adj)

   of or relating to the sympathetic nervous system

   "sympathetic neurons"; "sympathetic stimulation"

2. sympathetic(adj)

   expressing or feeling or resulting from sympathy or compassion or friendly fellow feelings; disposed toward

   "sympathetic to the students' cause"; "a sympathetic observer"; "a sympathetic gesture"

3. charitable, benevolent, kindly, sympathetic, good-hearted, openhearted, large-hearted(adj)

   showing or motivated by sympathy and understanding and generosity

   "was charitable in his opinions of others"; "kindly criticism"; "a kindly act"; "sympathetic words"; "a large-hearted mentor"

4. sympathetic, appealing, likeable, likable(adj)

   (of characters in literature or drama) evoking empathic or sympathetic feelings

   "the sympathetic characters in the play"

5. sympathetic(adj)

   having similar disposition and tastes

   "with their many similar tastes, he found her a most sympathetic companion"

6. harmonic, sympathetic(adj)

   relating to vibrations that occur as a result of vibrations in a nearby body

   "sympathetic vibration"

Wiktionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. sympathetic(Adjective)

   of, related to, showing, or characterized by sympathy

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Sympathetic(adj)

   inclined to sympathy; sympathizing

2. Sympathetic(adj)

   produced by, or expressive of, sympathy

3. Sympathetic(adj)

   produced by sympathy; -- applied particularly to symptoms or affections. See Sympathy

4. Sympathetic(adj)

   of or relating to the sympathetic nervous system or some of its branches; produced by stimulation on the sympathetic nervious system or some part of it; as, the sympathetic saliva, a modified form of saliva, produced from some of the salivary glands by stimulation of a sympathetic nerve fiber

Origin: [See Sympathy, and cf. Pathetic.]

British National Corpus

1. Adjectives Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'sympathetic' in Adjectives Frequency: #753

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of sympathetic in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of sympathetic in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4

Sample Sentences & Example Usage

1. Euripides:

   Man's best possession is a sympathetic wife.

2. Homer:

   A sympathetic friend can be quite as dear as a brother.

3. Jennifer Tilly:

   Don't point out your flaws, because the world is not as sympathetic and nurturing as you think.

4. David Skeel:

   The four liberal justices are the justices most likely to be sympathetic to Puerto Rico’s arguments.

5. Isadora Duncan:

   Perhaps he was a bit different from other people, but what really sympathetic person is not a little mad?

Images & Illustrations of sympathetic

Popularity rank by frequency of use