Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
adjective
- characterized by, proceeding from, exhibiting, or feeling sympathy; sympathizing; compassionate: a sympathetic listener.
- acting or affected by, of the nature of, or pertaining to a special affinity or mutual relationship; congenial: With their many similar tastes, he found her a most sympathetic companion.
- looking upon with favor (often followed by to or toward): She is sympathetic to the project.
- Anatomy, Physiology.
- pertaining to that part of the autonomic nervous system consisting of nerves that arise from the thoracic and lumbar regions of the spinal cord, and functioning in opposition to the parasympathetic system, as in stimulating heartbeat, dilating the pupil of the eye, etc.
- Obsolete.pertaining to the autonomic nervous system in its entirety.
- Physics. noting or pertaining to vibrations, sounds, etc., produced by a body as the direct result of similar vibrations in a different body.
adjective
- not characterized by, feeling, or showing sympathy
- (when postpositive, often foll by to or towards) not showing agreement (with) or favour (towards)
adjective
- characterized by, feeling, or showing sympathy; understanding
- in accord with the subject’s personality or mood; congeniala sympathetic atmosphere
- (when postpositive, often foll by to or towards) showing agreement (with) or favour (towards)sympathetic to the proposals
- anatomy physiol of or relating to the division of the autonomic nervous system that acts in opposition to the parasympathetic system accelerating the heartbeat, dilating the bronchi, inhibiting the smooth muscles of the digestive tract, etcCompare parasympathetic
- relating to vibrations occurring as a result of similar vibrations in a neighbouring bodysympathetic strings on a sitar
adj.1823, from un- (1) “not” + sympathetic. adj.1640s, “pertaining to sympathy,” from Modern Latin sympatheticus, from Greek sympathetikos, from sympathein, from sympathes “having a fellow feeling, affected by like feelings” (see sympathy). Meaning “having fellow feeling” is recorded from 1718. In anatomical sense, the word is attested from 1769, from Modern Latin (nervus) sympathicus, coined by Jacques-Benigne Winslow (1669-1760), Danish anatomist living in Paris. Related: Sympathetically. adj.
- Of, relating to, or acting on the sympathetic nervous system.