Sympathetic means showing that you understand someone's problems and care about them, and being ready to support them when things are hard. It doesn't mean pleasant or attractive: for looks, say good-looking or attractive; for a pleasant place, charming or nice; for a pleasant person, nice or likeable. A second meaning of sympathetic is “supporting an idea or plan”: sympathetic to the idea.
sympathetic: will you get the meaning right?
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be sympathetic (to/towards + person); a sympathetic + listener/smile; sympathetic to + idea/plan; a good-looking person, a charming place (not sympathetic)
- My boss was very sympathetic when I told her my father was in hospital.
- The teacher was sympathetic and gave me an extra day to finish the essay.
- Most local residents are sympathetic to the plan to close the street to cars.
What changed
First versionWe stayed in a small but very sympathetic hotel near the station.
RevisionWe stayed in a small but very charming hotel near the station.
In several languages a similar word means “pleasant” or “likeable”, which produces phrases like sympathetic hotel. But in English sympathetic means “showing sympathy”, and a hotel can't feel sorry for anyone. For a pleasant, cosy place, say charming or nice.
The noun sympathy also means feeling sorry for someone, not liking them: I have a lot of sympathy for nurses who work night shifts. If you simply like someone, say I like him, and if you are attracted to them, say I find him attractive.
Your turn
Kate's new boyfriend is so ___ that people often ask if he's a model.
Show the answer
good-looking — People would only ask whether he's a model because of his looks, so the answer is good-looking. Sympathetic describes the ability to understand and care about others, and you can't see that in someone's face.
Think of a time when someone showed you sympathy in a difficult situation. Write what happened and what this person did to help.
When my flight was cancelled at midnight, the airline agent was very sympathetic and found me a hotel room nearby.
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