Sympathy is the feeling of caring about someone else's troubles or sadness. When your friend's dog dies and you feel sorry for them, that's sympathy. You might not know exactly how they feel, but you recognize they're hurting and you care about their pain.

Sympathy shows up in everyday moments. When a classmate strikes out in softball and looks disappointed, feeling sympathy means you notice their frustration and wish things had gone better for them. When you see someone struggling with heavy groceries, sympathy might prompt you to offer help.

The word comes from Greek roots meaning “feeling with” another person. You're emotionally involved enough to care about what happens to them. A sympathetic person notices when others are having a hard time and responds with kindness rather than indifference.

People sometimes confuse sympathy with empathy. Sympathy means you care about someone's problem and feel concern for them. Empathy goes further: it means you can imagine yourself in their situation and understand what they might be experiencing. Both matter, but they're different. You might feel sympathy for someone whose house burned down without fully understanding what that loss feels like.

When someone dies, people often send sympathy cards to the family, expressing their sorrow about the loss. These cards acknowledge that something painful has happened and show that others care.