- a variation of empathetic.
empathic
Britishadjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Explanation
The adjective empathic describes the ability to understand other people's feelings. There is nothing better than a truly empathic friend when you're feeling sad. Empathic people are sensitive to the way others feel, and even seem to share those feelings. If you give truly empathic support to someone who's suffered a serious, tragic loss, you may even cry along with them as they tell their story. Empathic is an older word than its close relation, the more common empathetic. These synonyms come from the Greek root pathos, or "feeling."
Vocabulary lists containing empathic
Vocabulary from "There Will Never Be an Age of Artificial Intimacy," by Sherry Turkle
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myPerspectives 9.2
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path
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In contrast, the empathic distance that reality TV affords still allows us to not only delight in the Traitors’ impressive murder run but perhaps fantasize about how well we’d perform in their place.
From Salon • Jan. 28, 2026
Individuals who received coaching were rated as 20% more empathic than those without coaching.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 15, 2026
Students vastly underestimated how empathic, kind and friendly their average peer was.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025
“Even after the most loving, empathic response, an AI doesn’t care if you drive to the store or drive off a cliff,” Essig said.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 22, 2025
Because, ultimately, the empathic gift blurred the boundaries between hunter and victim, between the successful and the defeated.
From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
