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simpatico

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Etymology and origin of the Italian word simpatico

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1657, Francesco Scannelli
Ultimate origin
Ancient Greek συμπάθεια

Pronunciation

  • /simˈpa.ti.ko/[1]

Forms

simpatico (feminine simpatica, masculine plural simpatici, feminine plural simpatiche, superlative simpaticissimo)[1]

Etymology

It is from Italian simpatia + -ico.[2][3][4][1] The noun is a learned word of the 16th century, from Latin sympathīa (“natural affinity”), from Ancient Greek συμπάθεια (sumpátheia, “fellow feeling”), a compound of σύν (sún, “with”) and a derivative of πάσχω (páskhō, “to suffer”).[5][6]

The anatomical sense, “sympathetic (nervous system)”, has a separate history: the term was introduced in 1732 by the anatomist Jacob Winslow, and Italian took it from New Latin sympathicus, formed on συμπαθής (sumpathḗs, “sharing feelings”) or συμπαθικός (sumpathikós, “feeling the same influence”).[7][2][6][8] GRADIT, Zingarelli, Wiktionary and Nocentini give it a numbered entry of its own.[2][8][1][6] Treccani derives it from the everyday adjective.[9] The noun had a medical sense too: in 1583 it named the tendency of parts of the body to suffer the same disorders.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is from Francesco Scannelli in 1657, with the sense “concerning the attraction between persons and things”, the occult force that Renaissance philosophers called simpatia.[5][2] Nocentini, Devoto–Oli and Sabatini–Coletti date the adjective to the 18th century.[6][4][3]

Semantic evolution

DELI, quoting Durante, explains that simpatia first named an irresistible hidden force of attraction, discussed by philosophers, physicians and theorists of magic, and only later, with the decline of the occult sciences and through Hume's ethics, a feeling of goodwill.[5] The adjective followed: simpatico “arousing liking” is recorded in a Milanese newspaper in 1827.[5] Panzini noted in 1905 that the moral sense followed French usage, that purists disliked it, but that simpatico and antipatico were in common popular use.[5] Writers of the 19th century such as Nievo and Carducci use it of faces and persons.[7][10]

The anatomical sense is found from Lorenzo Pascoli (1730–1736), and gran simpatico from 1829.[5] The physical sense survives in corde simpatiche, strings that sound by resonance, and inchiostro simpatico is invisible ink.[4][3][8] English has borrowed simpatico (from Spanish or Italian) since 1864.[11]

Timeline

  • 1560 – Simpatia is recorded for an instinctive attraction.[5]
  • 1657 – Francesco Scannelli uses simpatico of the attraction between things.[5]
  • 1730–1736 – Lorenzo Pascoli uses simpatico of the nervous system.[5]
  • 1732 – Jacob Winslow introduces the anatomical term.[7]
  • 1827 – A Milanese newspaper uses simpatico for “likeable”.[5]
  • 1829 – Nervo gran simpatico is recorded.[5]
  • 1864 – English simpatico is first recorded.[11]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. likeable, nice, pleasant: arousing sympathy and goodwill: Il nuovo collega è molto simpatico.[2][4][3]
  2. Friendly, affable, showing kindness: Ha un modo di fare simpatico.[2][4][12]
  3. Pleasant, enjoyable, amusing: Abbiamo passato un pomeriggio simpatico al mare.[2][3][8]
  4. In negative impersonal phrases, polite or proper: Non è simpatico partire senza dire niente.[4][3][9]
  5. (music, physics) Produced by resonance: corde simpatiche, sympathetic strings.[4][3][12]
  6. (chemistry) Inchiostro simpatico: invisible ink that appears only with a reagent.[8][3][12]
  7. (anatomy) Of or relating to the sympathetic nervous system: cellule simpatiche.[2][4][12]

Noun

  1. A likeable person: Suo fratello è un gran simpatico.[4][8][3]
  2. (anatomy) The sympathetic nervous system, gran simpatico, the whole autonomic nervous system.[2][8][9]

Word family

  • simpaticone
  • simpaticamente
  • simpaticità
  • parasimpatico
  • simpatia
  • antipatico
  • simpatizzare
  • patire

Usage notes

The opposite is antipatico.[8][12] Stare simpatico a qualcuno or riuscire simpatico is to be liked by someone.[2][8] The augmentative simpaticone is a jolly, likeable person.[8][9]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  6. ^ a b c d Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  7. ^ a b c Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  9. ^ a b c d Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  10. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
  11. ^ a b Stammerjohann, Harro, et al. (2008), Dizionario di italianismi in francese, inglese, tedesco, Firenze: Accademia della Crusca; online at difit.italianisticaonline.it
  12. ^ a b c d e Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
Cite this entry

“Simpatico.” Etymologically, 22 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/it/simpatico. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·