sym-metry /‘simatri/ noun
[U] 1 the exact match in size and shape between two halves, parts or sides of
sth : the perfect symmetry of the garden design l&MMM ft % 'k *4 ^ — picture o axis 2 the quality of being very
similar or equal the increasing
symmetry between men's and women’s jobs H AIRikft 0
mmm
sym pa thetic 0-w /simpa'Betik/ adj.
1
~ (to/towards sb) kind to sb who is hurt or sad;
showing that you understand and care about their
problems IWJIfrft; ftlBMfftft; ^Alpl'lfft: a sympathetic listener jfll £ij A ft n/f # 0 I did
not feel at all sympathetic towards Kate. fSX'fifl#—/£&A|W]1f 0 O I’m here if you need a sympathetic ear
(= sb
to talk to about your problems). SIWSfciMo
2
~ (to/towards sb/sth) showing that you approve of
sb/sth or that you share their views and are willing to support them |W] ft; XI# ft: to be
sympathetic to the party’s aims [WJ i£ ^ ft Hi 0 Russian newspapers are largely sympathetic
to the president. jft^A#ftXI#
3
(of a person A) easy to like itA#$;ft; ffl: A HfUft: a sympathetic
character in a novel XZtAH^ft Al^ 0 I don’t find her a very sympathetic
person, tf + Alt „ EED This
meaning is not very common and you should use likeable or pleasant instead. i&Ai*lXAA#$3) Rj#j likeable nSt pleasant FI3i3 UNSYMPATHETIC ► sym-pa-
thet ic al ly adv.: to smile at sb sympathetically
|£]XA O We hope this application will be treated sympathetically (= it
will be approved). flUl'l#!!&#)■4*
sympathize (BrE also -ise) /'simpaGaiz/ verb 1 ~ (with sb/sth)
to feel sorry for sb; to show that you understand and feel sorry about sb’s
problems |W} jf: [V] I find
it
very hard to sympathize with him.
[also V speech] 2 [V] ~ with sb/sth to support sb/sth H |W|; X I# : He has never really
sympathized with the aims of Animal Rights activists.
sym pa
thizer (BrE also -iser) /'simp00aiz0(r)/ noun a person who
supports or approves of sb/sth, especially a political cause or party @ |IJ #;
XI##: communist sympathizers X^ftXftttl^# sym pathy 0-w /'simpaGi/ noun [pi -ies)
1 [U, C, usually pi.] the feeling of being sorry for sb;
showing that you understand and care about sb’s problems |W] 'If: to
express/feel sympathy for sb faXA ^AiXltfli; toAMJili 0 I have no
sympathy for Jan, it’s all her own fault. ffcAIPJ'lt
HI, SPtMkife g Sft o I wish he’d show me a little more sympathy,
# M Ilk fg # W i# ft—& o 0 Our heartfelt sympathy goes
out to the victims of the war. lief|]At $^’ft A
& M ft IU. 'If <= O (formal) May we offer our deepest
sympathies on the death of your wife, $c II I ii X4 ^ A
A ftltPf! o 2 [U, C, usually pi.] the act of showing
support for or approval of an idea, a cause, an organization, etc. ^ |h] ; XI#: The seamen went on strike
in sympathy with (= to show their support for) the dockers, ^^^IA6dX#0
0 Her
sympathies lie with the anti-abortion lobby. MX l#&3Jlnl^['?g^j|l®o 3 [U] friendship and understanding
between people who have similar opinions or interests M H +0 S; -X |W]o': There was no personal sympathy
between them.
M in 'sympathy with sth happening because sth else has
happened S - MihSfl; Share prices
slipped in sympathy with the German market.
^^B|b], out of'sympathy with
sb/sth not agreeing
with or not wanting to support sb/sth AXI# ( )
sym phony /'simfani/ noun (pi -ies) a long complicated piece of music
for a large orchestra, in three
or four main parts (called movements) X
ng A ; X ng ft : Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony A ^ 3? ft
3131X^ ® ► sym- phon
ic /simTomk; NAmE
-’fain-/ adj. ■ Mozart’s symphonic works
2lfL#ftX"65fcf£li
symphony orchestra noun a large orchestra
that plays classical music X Bf«1H: the
sym po sium /sim'pauziam; NAmE -'pou-/ noun (pi sym- po-sia /-zia/ or sym po siums) r (on sth) a meeting at which experts have
discussions about a particular subject; a small conference XlSiZife^-; ®fi#X; /HS
i#ifc£
symp tom /'simptam/ noun 1 a change in
your body or mind that shows that you are not healthy Je : flu symptoms if, $nL 0 Look out for
symptoms of depression. o Symptoms include a
headache and sore throat.
2 a sign that sth exists, especially sth bad fiE%
H77I indication
: The rise in inflation was just one
symptom of the poor state of the economy, iiflfciift Ail Jt^FAiS^ft—O note at sign symp tom at ic /.simpta'maetik/ adj. ~ (of sth) being a sign of an illness or a
problem f£Alfl!4£ft; ( ft ) ft; A $E
jfe ft: a symptomatic infection ft Se
4
These disagreements are symptomatic of the tensions
within the party. Hi M M J*L ft k. i#
% 1*1^ ft) %
mm*
symptomize /'simptamaiz/
verb [VN] (US) to be a sign or SYMPTOM of sth Jl---ft|E4£
( Wfcfk ) synaesthesia (also
syn-es-the-sia)
/.sinas'Giizia;
NAmE -'0i:3a/ noun [U] (biology 4) the fact of experiencing some things in
a different way from most other people, for example experiencing colours as
sounds or shapes as tastes, or feeling sth in one part of the body when a
different part is stimulated
syna gogue /'sinagng; NAmE -ga:g/ noun a building where Jews meet for religious
worship and teaching
mx&it-, ci
syn apse /'sainseps; 'sin-/ noun (biology ^) a connection between two nerve
cells ( ) 31M ►syn-ap-tic
/sai'naeptik;
sin-/ adj.: the synaptic membranes sync (also synch) /sirjk/ noun [U] (informal) IT»T71 in 'sync
5
moving or working at exactly the same time and
speed as
sb/sth else |wj#: The soundtrack is not in sync with the picture. H 1] X
|W] fp „ 2 in agreement
with
sb/sth;
working well with sb/sth — gfc ; 1^- iff : His opinions were in sync with
those of his colleagues. #,
— Sco out of ‘sync 1 not moving or working at exactly the same
time and speed as sb/sth else X
|s] ^ 2 not in agreement with sb/sth; not working well with sb/sth X ~ SC; W — see also
LIP-SYNC,
SYNCHRONIZATION at SYNCHRONIZE
syn chron ic /siq'krnmk; NAmE -'krain-/ adj. (linguistics i^W) relating to a language as it
is at a particular point in time ( ) ^B#l$
— compare diachronic
syn-chron-icity /.sirjkra'msati/
noun [U] (technical Ain) the fact of two or more things
happening at exactly the same time
syn chron-ize (BrE also -ise) /'sirjkranaiz/ verb ~ (sth) (with sth) to happen
at the same time or to move at the same speed as sth; to make sth do this ( $L) Mj}?, ft 0# fa] ± — Sfc , |W] il ®
fj : [V] The sound track
did not
synchronize with the action. 0 [VN]
Let’s
synchronize our watches (= make them show exactly the same time). ‘T ABCo ► syn-chron-
iza-tion, -isa tion /.sirjkranai'zeijn; NAmE -na'z-/ (also informal sync) noun [U]
.synchronized swimming (BrE also -ised) noun [u] a sport in which groups of swimmers move in patterns in the water
to music )
synchronous /'sirjkranas/
adj.
(technical A in) happening or
existing at the same time |w]0#^:ft. ( ft ) ft; |W|^-ft;
syn cline /'sirjklain/ noun (geology