Commiserate vs Sympathise - What's the difference?
commiserate | sympathise |
(obsolete, rare) commiserating, pitying, lamentful
* 1593 : , Christ’s Teares over Jerusalem ,
To feel or express compassion or sympathy for (someone or something).
(ambitransitive) To offer condolences jointly with; express sympathy with.
To sympathize; condole.
As verbs the difference between commiserate and sympathise
is that commiserate is to feel or express compassion or sympathy for (someone or something) while sympathise is .As an adjective commiserate
is (obsolete|rare) commiserating, pitying, lamentful.commiserate
English
Etymology 1
From , the perfect passive participle of commiseror.Adjective
(-)page 157(1815 edited republication)
- In the time of Gregory Nazianzene, if we may credit ecclesiastical records, there sprung up the direfulest mortality in Rome that mankind hath been acquainted with; scarce able were the living to bury the dead, and not so much but their streets were digged up for graves, which this holy Father (with no little commiserate heart-bleeding) beholding, commanded all the clergy (for he was at that time their chief bishop) to assemble in prayer and supplications, and deal forcingly beseeching with God, to intermit his fury and forgive them.
References
* “†co?mmiserate, ppl. a.'']” listed in the '' [2nd Ed.; 1989
Etymology 2
Modelled upon , the perfect passive participial stem of the (etyl) commiseror.Alternative forms
* (l) (obsolete) * (l) (obsolete spelling and modern misspelling) * (l) (obsolete spelling and modern misspelling)Verb
Derived terms
* (l), (l) * (l)References
* “commiserate, v.'']” listed in the ''Oxford English Dictionary [2nd Ed.; 1989