empathetic

[ em-puh-thet-ik ]

/ ˌɛm pəˈθɛt ɪk /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR empathetic ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of, relating to, or characterized by empathy, the psychological identification with the feelings, thoughts, or attitudes of others: a sensitive, empathetic school counselor.

Nearby words

emp, emp., empale, empanada, empanel, empathetic, empathic, empathize, empathy, empedocles, empennage

Also em·path·ic

[em-path-ik] /ɛmˈpæθ ɪk/.

Origin of empathetic

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

Related forms

em·pa·thet·i·cal·ly, em·path·i·cal·ly, adverbnon·em·path·ic, adjectivenon·em·path·i·cal·ly, adverb

Can be confused

empathetic sympathetic simpatico

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for empathic

The writing is, at turns, poignant, lively, empathic, and full of wit.
The Day the Fairytale Died|Marilyn Johnson|July 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I think there has to be an empathic strike between the reader and the protagonist.
How I Write: Michael Connelly|Noah Charney|January 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But the desire to nurture is born from blinding selfishness and little or no empathic capacity.
Convicted Baby-Snatcher Ann Pettway Was Blinded by Selfishness, Doctors Say|Lizzie Crocker|August 1, 2012|DAILY BEAST
That's right—Assange turns out to be an empathic and talented listener, at least when he's hosting a TV show.
I Love the Julian Assange Show!|Tracy Quan|July 3, 2012|DAILY BEAST

It is an empathic style that earned Blume the devotion of Generation X just as those kids came of age and began craving a guide.
Judy Blume Makes a Movie|Gina Piccalo|October 20, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Had a virtually complete case of empathic paralysis when he came to us.
Final Weapon|Everett B. Cole
Gadow's contrasting paradigms, empathic and philanthropic, are relevant to this understanding.
Nursing as Caring|Anne Boykin
In the empathic paradigm, the subjectivity of the other is "assumed to be as whole and valid as that of the caregiver" (p. 68).
Nursing as Caring|Anne Boykin
But he did feel the wave of emotion that welled from her, impinging directly on his empathic sense.
Sense of Obligation|Henry Maxwell Dempsey (AKA Harry Harrison)
And the mountain in question, seen from one double its height, will suggest the empathic activity of spreading itself out.
The Beautiful|Vernon Lee

British Dictionary definitions for empathic

empathic

empathetic (ˌɛmpəˈθɛtɪk)

/ (ɛmˈpæθɪk) /

adjective

of or relating to empathy

Derived Forms

empathically or empathetically, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012