empathize

To empathize with someone is to imagine or try to deeply understand what they are feeling or what it’s like to be in their situation.

The ability or the practice of doing this is called empathy, which is often described as the ability to feel what others are feeling as if you are feeling it yourself. So, to empathize is to feel empathy for someone. People who do this are described as empathetic.

Some people use the word empathize interchangeably or in overlapping ways with the word sympathize, which generally means to share someone else’s emotions, especially sadness. However, others distinguish the two terms by emphasizing the importance of empathizing with others (feeling their pain) as opposed to sympathizing with them (feeling sorry for them).

Example: Having faced many of the same challenges, Nyala is able to empathize with other immigrants and what they go through. 

The first records of the word empathize come from the 1900s. The word empathy, first recorded in the late 1800s, comes from a translation of the German term Einfühlung, which literally means “a feeling in.” It ultimately derives from the Greek empátheia, meaning “affection” or “passion,” from em-, meaning “in,” and path-, the base of a verb meaning “to suffer.” In contrast, the sym- in sympathize means “with” or “together.” The -ize in both words is used to make them verbs.

While sympathizing with someone often means pitying them or feeling bad for them, empathizing is feeling or attempting to feel and understand exactly how a person feels and what it’s like to be them. When you empathize with someone, you identify with them—as if you were them. In other words, empathizing is feeling and understanding what it’s like to be “in someone else’s shoes.” Empathizing usually involves showing kindness and having compassion—the desire to do something to help a person and reduce their pain. People described as empathetic or empathic due to being very sensitive to the emotions of others are sometimes called empathists or empaths.

What are some other forms related to empathize?

• empathise (British English spelling)
• empathy (noun)

What are some words that share a root or word element with empathize? 

• empathetic
• pathos
• pathetic
• apathy
• embed

What are some words that often get used in discussing empathize?

• sympathy
• compassion
• feel
• feeling
• emotion
• kindness
• sensitivity
• vicarious
• experience
• situation

What are some words empathize may be commonly confused with?

• sympathize

Empathize is often used in discussions about how people should try to have more empathy.

Leadership tip:
Research shows that power can reduce our capacity to empathize.
The best leaders realize that danger and work to:
-See the world through the eyes of others.
-Understand their perspective.
-Act on their behalf.
They lead with empathy.

— Jill Geisler (@JillGeisler) July 14, 2020

Regulating emotions, managing stress, empathizing with others, and maintaining relationships will be key to helping students learn this fall, according to CASEL in its new guide for reopening schools. https://t.co/ssCMPGz2dp

— Education Week Teacher (@EdWeekTeacher) July 15, 2020

Which of the following actions is an example of empathizing?

A. Feeling sorry for someone
B. Ignoring someone
C. Imagining how someone feels
D. Complimenting someone