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empathize

[em-puh-thahyz]
verb (used without object), em·pa·thized, em·pa·thiz·ing.
  1. to experience empathy (often followed by with): His ability to empathize with people made him an excellent marriage counselor.
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Also especially British, em·pa·thise.

Origin of empathize

First recorded in 1920–25; empath(y) + -ize
Can be confusedempathize sympathize
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

sympathizeshareimagineunderstandcomprehend

Examples from the Web for empathizing

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • Jon watched him a while, empathizing with his occasional looks that told how out of place he felt.

    Captives of the Flame

    Samuel R. Delany

British Dictionary definitions for empathizing

empathize

empathise

verb
  1. (intr) to engage in or feel empathy
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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

Word Origin and History for empathizing

empathize

v.

1924, in psychology, from empathy + -ize. Related: Empathized; empathizing.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
empathizing in Medicine

empathize

(ĕm′pə-thīz′)
v.
  1. To feel empathy in relation to another person.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.