noun

empathy

/ˈɛmpəθi/ · say it: EM·puh·thee

the ability to share another's feelings

In Emotions & Moods

In more detail

1. (noun) the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person

2. (noun) the feeling of being able to understand someone else's emotions or situation

Examples

1. A good doctor needs empathy to connect with their patients.
2. She felt empathy for her friend who had just lost her job.

How to use empathy

Empathy is the capacity to imaginatively enter another person's emotional experience and understand their perspective from the inside, distinguishing it from sympathy, which is more about feeling concern or pity for someone's situation. It is widely used in psychology, education, healthcare, and discussions of social skills, often presented as a key quality for effective communication and ethical behavior.

Common phrases

show empathy
lack of empathy
demonstrate empathy
with empathy
empathy for someone

Synonyms

compassion · understanding · sympathy · fellow feeling · emotional intelligence

Opposites

apathy · indifference · callousness

Word family

empathetic · empathetically · empathize

A common mistake

Learners often confuse empathy with sympathy; empathy involves understanding and sharing feelings, while sympathy is feeling compassion or concern for someone without necessarily understanding their emotions deeply.

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