empathy
Identification with or understanding of the thoughts, feelings, or emotional state of…Identification with or understanding of the thoughts, feelings, or emotional state of another person.
» When is empathy most important?
Meaning
4 senses(countable, uncountable)Identification with or understanding of the thoughts, feelings, or emotional state of another person.
She had a lot of empathy for her neighbor; she knew what it was like to lose a parent too.
Empathie, Einfühlung
сочу́вствиеsočúvstvije, эмпа́тияempátija, сопережива́ниеsopereživánije
співчуття́spivčuttjá, емпа́тіяempátija, співпережива́нняspivperežyvánnja
understanding and entering into another's feelings
(countable, uncountable)The capacity to understand another person's point of view or the result of such understanding.
Einfühlungsvermögen, Empathie
сочу́вствиеsočúvstvije, сопережива́ниеsopereživánije, эмпа́тияempátija
(countable, uncountable)A paranormal ability to psychically read another person's emotions.
(countable, obsolete, slang, uncountable)MDMA.
Examples
77 sentencesWhen is empathy most important?
Tom lacks empathy for others.
Tom lacks empathy.
deTom fehlt es an Einfühlungsvermögen.
Tom has no empathy.
У Тома відсутня емпатія.
ruТом лишён эмпатии.
deTom hat keine Empathie.
Some people lack empathy.
Деяким людям бракує емпатії.
Translations
9 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 1
By meaning 2
Origin
A twentieth-century borrowing from Ancient Greek ἐμπάθεια (empátheia, literally “passion”)A twentieth-century borrowing from Ancient Greek ἐμπάθεια (empátheia, literally “passion”) (formed from ἐν (en, “in, at”) + πάθος (páthos, “feeling”)), equivalent to em- + -pathy, coined by Edward Bradford Titchener in 1909 to translate German Einfühlung. The modern word in Greek εμπάθεια (empátheia) has an opposite meaning denoting strong negative feelings and prejudice against someone.
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Forms
plural: empathiesSynonyms
2 synonymsWord family
22 related wordsLessons for this word
1 lessons- A1Countable and uncountable nouns — Because it can be uncountable