empathetic

American

[em-puh-thet-ik] / ˌɛm pəˈθɛt ɪk /

Also empathic

adjective

relating to or characterized by empathy, the psychological identification with the emotions, thoughts, or attitudes of others.

One of the great strengths of the school is our sensitive, empathetic counseling staff.

Usage

What does empathetic mean? Empathetic means having or tending to have empathy—the ability or practice of imagining or trying to deeply understand what someone else is feeling or what it’s like to be in their situation.Empathy is often described as the ability to feel what others are feeling as if you are feeling it yourself. To feel empathy for someone is to empathize. People who do this are described as empathetic.Some people use the word empathetic interchangeably or in overlapping ways with the word sympathetic, which generally means sharing or tending to share emotions with someone else, especially sadness. However, others distinguish the two terms by emphasizing the importance of being empathetic toward others (feeling their pain) as opposed to being sympathetic toward them (feeling sorry for them).A less common variant of empathetic is empathic.Example: Having faced many of the same challenges, Nyala is empathetic to the struggles of immigrants.

Other Word Forms

empathetically adverb
empathically adverb
nonempathic adjective

Etymology

Origin of empathetic

First recorded in 1930–35; empath(y) + -etic

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But “Ankhmerwer”—gorgeously inscribed and illustrated and sprinkled with glimmering gold shrines, crowns, birds, gods and sun disks—rewards close looking and empathetic eyes.

From The Wall Street Journal

It was an example of what appeared to be Tudor's 'tough love' approach, as opposed to Frank's warmer and more empathetic style, leaving the Spurs squad looking even more dispirited than when he arrived.

From BBC

Tudor's brusque, plain speaking style got no more out of the Spurs squad than Frank's more empathetic approach.

From BBC

Moreover, he said, it’s easy for those watching from the sidelines to take potshots and offer unsolicited — and not particularly empathetic — advice.

From Los Angeles Times

I’d also encourage you to think about what else you can offer besides an empathetic ear.

From MarketWatch

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023