Literary notes about commiserate (AI summary)
The term "commiserate" in literature conveys a shared sense of pity or sorrow and appears in a variety of contexts, from genuine empathy to ironic commentary. Some authors use it to express heartfelt compassion, as when characters acknowledge another’s suffering in times of personal or collective distress ([1], [2], [3]). In other instances, the word assumes a sardonic tone, highlighting the distance or even condescension between individuals as they remark on another’s plight ([4], [5], [6]). Whether employed within epic historical narratives or intimate personal exchanges, "commiserate" functions as a nuanced verbal tool to deepen the emotional resonance of a given situation, underscoring both the universality and complexity of shared human sorrow ([7], [8], [9]).
- "Sir," said Captain Speedy, who was now deeply interested in Mr. Fogg's project, "I really commiserate you.
— from Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne - Listen to my tale; when you have heard that, abandon or commiserate me, as you shall judge that I deserve.
— from Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley - “Thou art too cruel,” said Isabella to Hippolita: “canst thou behold this anguish of a virtuous mind, and not commiserate it?”
— from The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole - Poor Miss Y., how we commiserate her ignorance!
— from The Catholic World, Vol. 15, Nos. 85-90, April 1872-September 1872 A Monthly Magazine by Various - I do not envy, but I commiserate my brother collector who has plenty of money.
— from In the Track of the Bookworm by Irving Browne - “I do not reproach you for your mother’s crimes—I commiserate you on that score.
— from The Mysteries of London, v. 4/4 by George W. M. (George William MacArthur) Reynolds - was the first pharaoh to commiserate the Egyptian people.”
— from The Pharaoh and the Priest: An Historical Novel of Ancient Egypt by Bolesław Prus - Upon this Eurycles pretended to commiserate his condition, and to grieve with him.
— from The Wars of the Jews; Or, The History of the Destruction of Jerusalem by Flavius Josephus - But if my lot unfortunate You in the least commiserate You will not all abandon me.
— from Eugene Oneguine [Onegin] by Aleksandr Sergeevich Pushkin
