Sympathize vs Condole - What's the difference?
sympathize | condole |
To show sympathy; to be affected by feelings similar to those of another, in consequence of knowing the person to be thus affected.
* Addison
To have a common feeling, as of bodily pleasure or pain.
* Buckminster
To agree; to be in accord; to harmonize.
To grieve.
To express sympathetic sorrow; to lament in sympathy.
* Sir W. Temple
As verbs the difference between sympathize and condole
is that sympathize is to show sympathy; to be affected by feelings similar to those of another, in consequence of knowing the person to be thus affected while condole is to grieve.sympathize
English
Verb
(North America)- Their countrymen sympathized with their heroes in all their adventures.
- The mind will sympathize so much with the anguish and debility of the body, that it will be too distracted to fix itself in meditation.
- (Dryden)
Usage notes
Used similarly to empathize, interchangeably in looser usage. In stricter usage, (term) is stronger and more intimate, while sympathize is weaker and more distant; see . Further, the general “agree, accord” sense of sympathize is not shared with (term).condole
English
Verb
(en-verb)- Your friends would have cause to rejoice, rather than condole with you.
