empathic
Britishadjective
Other Word Forms
- empathically adverb
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.
Ritter wrote on Instagram: "Smart, funny, empathic, kind, talented and just pure magic. I'm so grateful for our friendship and so heartbroken. All my love goes out to his amazing wife Kimberly and their children."
From BBC • Feb. 12, 2026
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
It is Cronenberg’s empathic, almost tender approach to the material that humanizes the film; his tonal approach is redemptive rather than grindhouse exploitative.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 24, 2024
Instead, he was an empathic and patient listener, coaxing each of us through the maze of our feelings, separating out our weapons from our wounds.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
