English edit

Etymology edit

Blend of him +‎ sympathize, or of himpathy + sympathize.

Verb edit

himpathize (third-person singular simple present himpathizes, present participle himpathizing, simple past and past participle himpathized)

  1. (feminism, rare) To exhibit himpathy; to inappropriately sympathize with men or boys, especially ones guilty of sexual transgressions.
    • 2019, Michelle Ciurria, An Intersectional Feminist Theory of Moral Responsibility, Routledge, →ISBN:
      As Manne (2017) and Solnit (2017) have shown, we tend to sympathize (or 'himpathize') too much with men and their standpoints, and not enough with women and their standpoints. This results in a tendency to downplay men's transgressions ...
    • 2019, L. H. Blumenfeld, Female Misogyny and Political Power, in Maria B. Marron, Misogyny and Media in the Age of Trump, Lexington Books (→ISBN), page 4:
      ... move in the political realm, particularly when they are challenging male authority. Female misogynists have made themselves visible in this era, being willing to exonerate, himpathize, and dismiss other women's concerns and accusations, were crucial to the outcome.
    • 2020, Kate Manne, Entitled: How Male Privilege Hurts Women, Crown, →ISBN, page 30:
      So here, as elsewhere, we ought to resist the pressure to himpathize. Incels have generated many headlines recently. It's easy to understand why, given the egregiously violent acts of misogyny some incels have committed.

Related terms edit