Sympathy
Etymology
From Greek "sympatheia," “fellow-feeling,” from "syn-" (together) + "pathos" (feeling). Far older than "empathy," it originally described a cosmic idea — that distant things could affect one another through hidden affinity (“sympathetic” vibration, in physics, still means this). Only later did it narrow to human fellow-feeling.
noun · /SIM-puh-thee/
Concern and sorrow felt for another person’s misfortune, from the outside.
What it names
Use it for caring about someone’s suffering without necessarily sharing it — the register of condolences and “I’m so sorry.”
Example
The card offered sympathy for their loss, though the sender had never met the deceased.
Related idea
Against empathy: sympathy keeps a distance — you feel for the person, acknowledging their pain from where you stand; empathy closes the distance and feels with them. This is why “you have my sympathy” can sound cool and formal, while empathy implies you’ve actually been moved.
See also