empathetic

Also em·path·ic

[em-puh-thet-ik]

adjective

1. relating to or characterized by empathy, the psychological identification with the emotions, thoughts, or attitudes of others.

   One of the great strengths of the school is our sensitive, empathetic counseling staff.

Other Word Forms

• empathetically adverb
• empathically adverb
• nonempathic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of empathetic¹

First recorded in 1930–35; empath(y) + -etic

Example Sentences

Patients who found it difficult to talk about their problems in the office opened up once they got in the water with these empathetic mammals.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The inquest heard Georgia was an "inquisitive, yet quiet, young person" who "possessed great kindness, sensitivity, and the ability to be truly empathetic".

Read more on BBC

Apparently they do, but it takes a soul as empathetic as Jimmy to figure out why.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

An aspiring journalist, Jennifer is an empathetic witness not only to Miriam’s struggles but to the hardships and bravery of all the women in the shop.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Indy is the most empathetic scream queen of the year so far — and I mean that literally as his breed, a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling retriever, is known for its high-pitched wail.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• compassionate 
• sensitive 
• sympathetic 

When To Use

What does empathetic mean?

Empathetic means having or tending to have empathy—the ability or practice of imagining or trying to deeply understand what someone else is feeling or what it’s like to be in their situation.Empathy is often described as the ability to feel what others are feeling as if you are feeling it yourself. To feel empathy for someone is to empathize. People who do this are described as empathetic.Some people use the word empathetic interchangeably or in overlapping ways with the word sympathetic, which generally means sharing or tending to share emotions with someone else, especially sadness. However, others distinguish the two terms by emphasizing the importance of being empathetic toward others (feeling their pain) as opposed to being sympathetic toward them (feeling sorry for them).A less common variant of empathetic is empathic.Example: Having faced many of the same challenges, Nyala is empathetic to the struggles of immigrants.