Word.ws English Dictionary

Synonyms of sympathy

12 similar words · 4 opposite words

Another word for sympathy is pity. Other synonyms of sympathy are mercy, commiseration and tenderheartedness. The opposite of sympathy is apathy.

Synonyms and similar words for sympathy

nounA feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another.

  • compassion
  • pityA feeling of sympathy at the misfortune or suffering of someone or something.
  • commiserationThe act of commiserating; sorrow for the hardships or afflictions of another; pity; compassion.
  • empathy
  • fellow feelingA sense of sympathy for, consideration of, or shared interests with one or more other human beings.
  • mercyForgiveness or compassion, especially toward those less fortunate.
  • tenderheartednessThe characteristic of being tenderhearted.
  • loving-kindness
  • bowels archaicCompassion, sympathy.
  • remorse obsoleteSorrow; pity; compassion.
  • rue archaic, dialectalPity; compassion.
  • ruth archaicSorrow for the misery of another person; compassion, mercy, pity.

Opposite of sympathy

nounMore antonyms

  • apathyLack of emotion or motivation; lack of interest or enthusiasm towards something; disinterest (in something).
  • antipathyOften followed by against, between, for, or to: a (deep) feeling of dislike or repugnance, normally towards a person...
  • contempt
  • dissympathyLack of sympathy; indifference.

Meaning of sympathy

  1. noun A feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another.
  2. noun The formal expression of pity or sorrow for someone else's misfortune.
  3. noun The ability to share the feelings of another.

Full definition of sympathy

sympathy in other languages

Questions about synonyms of sympathy

What is another word for sympathy?
Sympathy has 12 synonyms on Word.ws, such as pity, mercy, commiseration and tenderheartedness.
What is the opposite of sympathy?
The opposite of sympathy is apathy. Other antonyms of sympathy are antipathy.
What does sympathy mean?
Sympathy means a feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: sympathy (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “Synonyms of sympathy.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/sympathy. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.