'Sympathy for' Vs 'sympathy at'

Question

What is the difference between 'sympathy for' and 'sympathy at' in the following sentences: 1. "I felt a great deal of sympathy for his difficult position."
2."She expressed her sympathy at our loss." Can we write 'for' in place of 'to' and vice versa?
Are 'for' and 'to' the only collocations possible with the word 'sympathy'?

Fatimah0786 · Accepted Answer

Anyone there?

CalifJim · Answer

fatimah0786"I felt a great deal of sympathy for his difficult position."

"at" would have the same meaning.

fatimah0786"She expressed her sympathy at our loss." Can we write 'for' in place of 'to' and vice versa?

There is no "to", so I don't see why you're asking about it. "for" would have the same meaning as "at".
_______________

There are a great many prepositions that can come after "sympathy". "for" is the most common, and I recommend sticking with that one wherever possible.

Here are some examples I've found:

Expressions of sympathy from Mr Latham's colleagues ...
I'd also bet the guy ... gets sympathy from the judges.
I doubt the threat of disruptive action will earn much sympathy with the public.
Sometimes, however, I found myself out of sympathy with his political positions.
He is famed for fairness, sympathy to players, and for being tough and humorous.
To all who carry a burden of loss, I extend the deepest sympathy of our country.
He also took a swipe at the governor for expressing sympathy with secessionists.
I have nothing but sympathy for liquor store owners who've endured this madness.
The sympathy within the group was absolutely extreme
Retail store owners quickly shuttered their shops in sympathy with the truckers.
Men, women and teenagers stared with no sympathy at the few parents left standing alone with their toddlers, and I was fuming.

CJ

CalifJim · Answer

fatimah0786Anyone there?

Please be patient. Not everyone is available at all times to answer your questions, and it sometimes takes a long time to research the answer to your questions, as it did for me to find all those examples for you.

CJ

Fatimah0786 · Answer

Sorry, I made a typo,it is not 'to' it is 'at'. I wanted to know whether 'at' will have the same meaning as 'for', if they are written interchangeably.Thanks for taking some time out and answering.

'Sympathy for' Vs 'sympathy at'

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