empathetic
em-puh-THET-ik
/ˌɛmpəˈθɛtɪk/
Showing or feeling the ability to understand and share the thoughts and feelings of another.
Describes a person, listening style, or response that actively absorbs another's emotional state.
The story behind the word. Formed in English in the early 20th century as the adjective corresponding to empathy, modeled directly after the existing word sympathetic.
Word relationships
- understanding: Understanding can be purely cognitive, whereas empathetic involves shared feeling.
- callous: Callous means insensitively hardened against feeling, opposite to empathetic sensitivity.
Commonly confused with
- sympathetic: Empathetic implies stepping inside their shoes; sympathetic implies sending warmth from yours.
Word family
- empathy (noun): The ability to share feelings.
- empathetically (adverb): In an empathetic manner.
Collocations
- empathetic listener
- empathetic response
- highly empathetic
- empathetic approach
Idioms & expressions
- an empathetic ear
Example sentences
- "An empathetic leader listens carefully to employees before making sweeping policy changes." Management coaching
- "Empathetic communication encourages patients to share troubling symptoms without fear of judgment." Psychology textbook
Memory hook
EmpaTHETic = THET (thoughtful) + EM (entering emotionally). Attuned inside their shoes.
When not to use
Do not use to describe a physical reaction or formal gesture like sending flowers.
Fun facts
- Empathetic is interchangeable with 'empathic', though 'empathetic' is much more common in contemporary English.
Related words
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