empathetic

American  

[em-puh-thet-ik] / ˌɛm pəˈθɛt ɪk /

Also empathic

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.

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Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

• empathetically adverb
• empathically adverb
• nonempathic adjective

Etymology

Origin of empathetic

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

Explanation

An empathetic person is someone who can share another person's feelings. If you tell an empathetic person that your heart is broken, she might touch her own heart and gaze at you sadly through moist eyes. Empathetic is a recent term; it comes from empathy, which was coined by the German philosopher Rudolf Lotze in 1858. Lotze believed that when you look at a work of art, you project your own sensibilities onto it. So if you feel sad when you see a painting of a woman weeping over a dying lover, that's because you can imagine what it's like to lose someone you love. To make the word, Lotze turned to the ancient Greek empatheia, which means "passion."

Example Sentences

It all sounds very thought-out, logical and empathetic, down to the meticulous way you break down your choices.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026

While that’s empathetic, what does it have to do with the law?

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

Noah Wyle plays Dr Robby, a traumatised, hard-nosed yet deeply empathetic lead physician in the A&E department of a Pittsburg hospital.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

I’d also encourage you to think about what else you can offer besides an empathetic ear.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 19, 2026

“I’ve seen your memories. You’re what shrinks call ‘overly empathetic.’

From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken

Related Words

• compassionate
• sensitive
• sympathetic