1
as in sympathy
sorrow or the capacity to feel sorrow for another's suffering or misfortune
letters of commiseration sent to the hospitalized student
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in kindness
the capacity for feeling for another's unhappiness or misfortune
a heartless businessman with no commiseration for the less fortunate
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of commiseration
That clash of emotions — celebration of a dream season and commiseration over its bitter conclusion — sat on the central clubhouse table.
—
Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commiseration
Noun
-
Lilleaas shares her character’s sympathy for the inability of different generations to connect.—
-
No sympathy for Maduro Maduro, the ruthless dictator arrested with his wife and flown to New York for trial, deserves no sympathy.—
Noun
-
For months afterward, kindness arrived in unexpected forms — neighbors bringing food, strangers offering furniture, friends calling daily.—
-
Does their lack of kindness grant you permission to respond with equal insensitivity or even cruelty?—
Noun
-
Similarly, unhoused patients are either sources of spectacle (the first season’s man with rats nesting in his clothing) or figures whose primary function is to showcase the nurses’ compassion.—
-
With the perfect blend of dark humor and compassion for her characters, Schumacher writes of the absurdity of the human experience.—
Cite this Entry
“Commiseration.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commiseration. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share