Commiserate is a verb meaning to express or feel sympathy or pity for someone, especially in response to their misfortune. It implies sharing another’s sorrow or disappointment and often offers consolation or solidarity. The term is commonly used in formal or semi-formal discourse and can carry a tone of regretful empathy rather than casual condolence.
"I want to commiserate with you on your loss and hope you find comfort soon."
"We commiserated with our colleague after the project was unexpectedly canceled."
"She commiserates with all those who faced similar hardships during the winter storm."
"After hearing the news, they gathered to commiserate and offer support to the team."
Commiserate comes from the Middle French commiserer, itself from Late Latin commiserārī, from com- (together) + miserārī (to pity, feel sorry for). The English spelling and pronunciation were shaped by French influence after the Norman Conquest, with the sense shifting through the 17th–18th centuries to center on sharing sorrow and expressing sympathy. The root root is miser-, from Latin miser meaning “wretched, pitiable.” The prefix com- implies joint action or shared feeling. First known use in English dates to the 1610s, originally in contexts of religious or moral exhortation to share in others’ misfortunes; by the 1800s it had broadened to secular empathy and consolation, maintaining a formal tone in most usages, often in social or professional settings when acknowledging someone’s hardship.
💡 Etymology tip: Understanding word origins can help you remember pronunciation patterns and recognize related words in the same language family.
Help others use "Commiserate" correctly by contributing grammar tips, common mistakes, and context guidance.
💡 These words have similar meanings to "Commiserate" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Commiserate" and show contrast in usage.
📚 Vocabulary tip: Learning synonyms and antonyms helps you understand nuanced differences in meaning and improves your word choice in speaking and writing.
Words that rhyme with "Commiserate"
-ate sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
🎵 Rhyme tip: Practicing with rhyming words helps you master similar sound patterns and improves your overall pronunciation accuracy.
Pronounce as kə-MIZ-ə-ræɪt in US/UK phonology, with primary stress on the second syllable. In IPA for standard varieties: US /kəˈmɪzəˌreɪt/, UK /kəˈmɪzəˌreɪt/, AU similar /kəˈmɪzəˌreɪt/. Start with a schwa, then a clear /ˈmɪz/ cluster, a schwa, and end with /reɪt/. Mouth: neutral initial, lips relaxed, tongue high-mid for /ɪ/, then alveolar /z/ with voiced vibration, followed by /ə/ again, then a raised /eɪ/ before final /t/. Watch the
Mistakes: (1) Misplacing primary stress on the first syllable leading to /ˈkɒmɪzəˌreɪt/ or /kəˈmɪzəˈreɪt/. Correction: keep primary stress on the second syllable: kəˈmɪzəˌreɪt. (2) Slurring /z/ into /s/ or softening the /z/; ensure a voiced alveolar /z/ between /ə/ and /ə/. (3) Flattening the final /eɪt/ into /ət/ or /eɪ/; ensure clear /reɪt/ with a light /t/ at the end. These tweaks preserve the device of the two mid vowels and the /z/ cluster.
US and UK share /kəˈmɪzəˌreɪt/, with rhoticity affecting only rhotic accents in some dialects; UK non-rhotic speakers may have a slightly shorter /r/ at the end. Australian English tends to be closer to US in rhoticity, with a slightly broader /ɪ/ in the second syllable and a more open /eɪ/ in /reɪt/. The main differences lie in vowel quality: /ɪ/ in /ˈmɪz/ is typically a short, clipped vowel in both; /ə/ schwas may be less reduced in British speech, and the final /eɪt/ can be a more elongated /eɪ/ in Australian speech.
The difficulty comes from balancing the unstressed schwas and the mid vowel sequence /ˈmɪzə/ followed by the trailing /reɪt/. The vowel transitions require careful control of vowel height (ɪ vs ə), clear voicing on the /z/, and a precise, bound /eɪ/ at the end. Additionally, the secondary syllables carry stress shifts that can mislead a speaker into misplacing the primary stress. Practicing the three-phoneme sequence - MIZ-uh-RETE helps stabilize it.
There are no silent letters in Commiserate, but the tricky parts are the two-layer stress pattern and the /ˈmɪzə/ segment followed by /reɪt/. The emphasis on the second syllable and the onset of /r/ before the final /eɪt/ can cause non-native speakers to misplace stress or gloss over the /z/ sound. Focus on the vibro-acoustic cue of /z/ and the crisp /reɪt/ tail.
🗣️ Voice search tip: These questions are optimized for voice search. Try asking your voice assistant any of these questions about "Commiserate"!
No related words found
