Translate sympathetic | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish Definition of sympathetic
adjective
1feeling, showing, or expressing sympathy:he was sympathetic toward staff with family problems he spoke in a sympathetic tone [predic.] showing approval of or favor toward an idea or action:he was sympathetic to evolutionary ideas
2pleasant or agreeable, in particular. (of a person) attracting the liking of others:Audrey develops as a sympathetic character (of a structure) designed in a sensitive or fitting way:buildings that were sympathetic to their surroundings
3relating to or denoting the part of the autonomic nervous system consisting of nerves arising from ganglia near the middle part of the spinal cord, supplying the internal organs, blood vessels, and glands, and balancing the action of the parasympathetic nerves.
4relating to, producing, or denoting an effect that arises in response to a similar action elsewhere.
