English Meaning & Definitions
The capacity to understand or feel what another person is experiencing from within their frame of reference; the ability to place oneself in another's position.
- “She had a deep sense of empathy for the victims of the disaster, having lost her own home years ago.”
- “The counselor's empathy allowed the patient to feel truly heard and understood without judgment.”
English Synonyms & Near Equivalents
English Antonyms & Opposites
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “empathy”.
Coined in 1909 by psychologist Edward B. Titchener as a translation of the German word 'Einfühlung' (literally 'feeling-in'). It derives from the Ancient Greek 'en' (in) and 'pathos' (feeling, suffering). Unlike sympathy, which is feeling 'for' someone, empathy was specifically intended to describe the process of projecting one's own personality into an object of contemplation or another person's experience.
Think of 'em' as 'in' and 'pathy' as 'path'—you are walking in someone else's path or shoes.
Frequently Asked Questions About “empathy”
1. What is the meaning of “empathy” in English?
In English, empathy (noun) is defined as: “The capacity to understand or feel what another person is experiencing from within their frame of reference; the ability to place oneself in another's position.”.
2. How do you use “empathy” in a sentence?
“She had a deep sense of empathy for the victims of the disaster, having lost her own home years ago.”
3. What are English synonyms of “empathy”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “empathy”?
Coined in 1909 by psychologist Edward B. Titchener as a translation of the German word 'Einfühlung' (literally 'feeling-in'). It derives from the Ancient Greek 'en' (in) and 'pathos' (feeling, suffering). Unlike sympathy, which is feeling 'for' someone, empathy was specifically intended to describe the process of projecting one's own personality into an object of contemplation or another person's experience.
🇬🇧More English Words to English
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A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.
A specific duration of time equivalent to one hour and forty-six minutes.