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.
Students vastly underestimated how empathic, kind and friendly their average peer was.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025
Not only did many struggle to tell the difference, they consistently rated the AI’s replies as more empathic, culturally sensitive and emotionally engaging.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 22, 2025
He was complicated and intense and combative, and also sensitive and sweet and empathic, and wildly creative, imaginative and curious.
From Salon • May 23, 2025
Researchers at Durham University found that chimpanzees were as likely to console one another as bonobos - even though the latter is typically considered the more "empathic" primate.
From BBC • Apr. 26, 2025
All Lancelot’s muscles made an empathic sortie towards the feeling of his own armour, which he had not seen since he left Camelot.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
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.
