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empathy

EM-puh-thee /ˈɛmpəθi/

nounB2SATACTGRETOEFLIELTS

neutralacademic

The ability to understand and share the feelings of another.

Involves actually feeling with someone, stepping into their shoes, rather than just feeling sorry for them.

The story behind the word. Coined in 1909 by psychologist Edward Titchener as a translation of the German word 'Einfühlung' ('feeling into'), from Greek 'en-' (in) + 'pathos' (feeling). It describes the act of projecting oneself into another's experience.

Word relationships

understanding: Understanding is cognitive, while empathy is both cognitive and emotional—you actually feel the other person's state.

apathy: Apathy is a complete lack of feeling, emotion, or concern.

Commonly confused with

sympathy: Sympathy is feeling pity or sorrow for someone else's misfortune, whereas empathy is actually sharing and understanding their feelings.

Word family

empathize (verb): Understand and share the feelings of another.
empathetic (adjective): Showing an ability to understand and share the feelings of others.
empath (noun): A person with an exceptional ability to feel the emotions of others.

Collocations

deep empathy
feel empathy
show empathy
lack of empathy

Idioms & expressions

walk in someone else's shoes

Example sentences

"To be an effective counselor, one must possess deep empathy to truly connect with clients' pain." A discussion on emotional intelligence

Memory hook

'Empathy' puts you 'in' (em-) the 'path' (pathy) of another person's feelings. Feeling into another

When not to use

Do not confuse with sympathy (feeling pity from a distance) or apathy (lack of feeling).

Fun facts

The term 'empathy' was originally used in art criticism to describe the physical sensation a viewer experiences when looking at a painting or sculpture.