Cool MateSupportive vs That's very understanding
When to use each in English, with meaning, register, and examples.
Supportive
Top 3,000 (common)C1adjective
That's very understanding
Top 3,000 (common)
| Supportive | That's very understanding | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | 🇬🇧 /["/səˈpɔːtɪv/"]/🇺🇸 /["/səˈpɔːrtɪv/"]/ | 🇬🇧 //ðæts ˈvɛri ˌʌndəˈstændɪŋ//🇺🇸 //ðæts ˈvɛri ˌʌndərˈstændɪŋ// |
| Meaning | Helpful and encouraging to others. | It means someone is kind and patient about others' feelings. |
| Example | a supportive family | When she listened to my problems, I thought, 'That's very understanding.' |
| Register | Neutral | Neutral |
| How common | Top 3,000 (common) | Top 3,000 (common) |
| CEFR level | C1 | - |
| Part of speech | adjective | |
| Collocations | be, seem, become, extremely, fairly, very, of, to | very understanding person, that's very understanding, to be understanding, understanding and supportive, an understanding response |
| Antonyms | unsupportive, discouraging, critical | - |
| Common mistakes | Confusing 'supportive' with 'supporting' when describing a person., Using 'supportive' in contexts where 'patronizing' would be more accurate., Not using the adjective form correctly, like saying 'support' instead of 'supportive'. | Confusing with 'that's very understanding of you' which implies acknowledging someone's action., Using it insincerely in sarcastic contexts., Omitting the subject when beginning a sentence. |
| Usage notes | Used in both personal and professional contexts to describe someone who offers help or encouragement. Appropriate when talking about friends, family, or colleagues. Less common in formal writing. | Use 'That's very understanding' to compliment someone who is supportive or empathetic. It's appropriate in both formal and informal contexts. |
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Frequently asked questions: Supportive vs That's very understanding
What's the difference between Supportive and That's very understanding?
Supportive: Helpful and encouraging to others. That's very understanding: It means someone is kind and patient about others' feelings.
Can you show an example of each?
Supportive: a supportive family That's very understanding: When she listened to my problems, I thought, 'That's very understanding.'
Can I use Supportive and That's very understanding interchangeably?
Not always. Supportive and That's very understanding are related and overlap in some contexts, but they differ in register, how common they are, and usage, so swapping one for another can change the meaning or tone. Check the differences above before substituting.