Meanings
- uncountablefeminismInappropriate sympathy given to men or boys, especially those who are guilty of sexual transgressions.
But this isn't because the problem of himpathy is rare. On the contrary -- it's so common that we regard it as business as usual.
2017, Kate Manne, Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny, →ISBN, page 1962 more examples
For too long we have clung to the idea of “himpathy”, as Washington Times journalist Irin Carmon so perfectly described it at the writers' festival.
2018 May 13, Helen Pitt, “Drop the 'himpathy': Clarion call of Sydney Writers' Festival's #MeToo moment”, in The Sydney Morning HeraldExamples of “himpathy” abound. Cosby was buoyed by public support for decades, even as more than 60 women accused him of sexual assault.
2019 December 18, Anne Kingston, “Will Harvey Weinstein's big show produce ‘himpathy’?”, in Maclean’s
Origin
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with himpathy
All rhymes →Cite this entry
himpathy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/himpathy
“himpathy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/himpathy. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “himpathy,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/himpathy.
Source: himpathy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.