Meaning & use

empathize

verb·Academic

To understand and share the feelings of another person.

See it in a sentence

It helped to talk to a friend who could truly empathize with her loss.

Good managers empathize with employees instead of dismissing their concerns.

A note on using this word

Empathize implies actually sharing or understanding someone's feelings, while sympathize can simply mean feeling sorry for them.

Words with a similar meaning

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