Meaning & use
empathetic
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Meanings
adjectivecomparableapproving
Able to understand and share another person's feelings by imagining how it feels to be in their position.
Grammar: Often followed by to, toward or with: empathetic to her situation.
Patterns
- empathetic to someone
- empathetic toward someone
- an empathetic listener
The nurse was empathetic toward the frightened patient.
He is an empathetic listener who never rushes people.
She gave an empathetic reply to the angry customer.
adjectivecomparable
Showing or expressing this kind of understanding, as in a message or a manner.
Grammar: Can describe words, tones or responses, not just people.
Patterns
- an empathetic response
- an empathetic tone
Her empathetic tone calmed the caller.
The letter was warm and empathetic.
He wrote an empathetic note to his grieving friend.
Word forms
| comparative | more empathetic |
|---|---|
| superlative | most empathetic |
Common combinations
- empathetic listener
- A good counselor is an empathetic listener.
- deeply empathetic
- She is deeply empathetic and notices when others struggle.
- empathetic response
- The manager gave an empathetic response to the complaint.
- empathetic toward
- Teachers should be empathetic toward anxious students.
- empathetic approach
- An empathetic approach improves patient care.
Synonyms and how they differ
- understanding
- Understanding is the plain, everyday word and need not mean you share the feeling.
- sympathetic
- Sympathetic means feeling concern or pity for someone, while empathetic means sharing what they feel.
- compassionate
- Compassionate adds a wish to help, which empathetic does not always include.
- sensitive
- Sensitive means aware of feelings but can also mean easily hurt, so it is less precise.
Opposites
Word family
- empathy noun
- the ability to share another person's feelings
- empathize verb
- to understand and share someone's feelings
- empathetically adverb
- in a way that shows understanding of feelings
- empath noun
- in fiction, someone who senses others' emotions
Commonly confused: empathetic or sympathetic? empathetic or apathetic?
empathetic vs sympathetic
Sympathetic means feeling sorry for someone, while empathetic means feeling with them.
empathetic vs apathetic
Apathetic means showing no interest or feeling, nearly the opposite of empathetic.
Practice
A friend who has also lost a job can be especially ___ because she knows exactly how the stress feels.
Choose one answer.
Empathetic means able to share another person's feelings, which fits someone who has been through the same thing. Apathetic means uncaring, the opposite.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “empathetic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.