Dictionary / empathy
empathy
- noun
- from Ancient Greek
Identification with or understanding of the thoughts, feelings, or emotional state of another person.
1 All current definitions
Every sense of “empathy” in current use, as recorded by Wiktionary. Older and obsolete senses are kept separately.
noun
- countableuncountableIdentification 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.
- countableuncountableThe capacity to understand another person's point of view or the result of such understanding.
- countableuncountableA paranormal ability to psychically read another person's emotions.
Older & obsolete senses (1)
- countableobsoleteslanguncountableMDMA.
Cross-check: WordNet senses (1)
- noununderstanding and entering into another's feelings
2 History of the word
The etymology, the path the word travelled, and the words built from it.
The word’s journey, newest to oldest:
- English (today)empathy
- Ancient Greekἐμπάθεια (empátheia) “passion”
- Ancient Greekἐν (en) “in, at” + πάθος (páthos) “feeling”
A 20th-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.
Derivatives — words built from “empathy”
Phrases & compounds
Related terms
Want to go deeper? See also “empathy” on Etymonline ↗
3 Original language
Where “empathy” came from before it was English.
4 Original meaning
What the word meant at the oldest point the record reaches.
5 Use it with confidence
Model sentences from the sources, matched to the meaning they show. Read each one aloud, then make your own in the game.
nounMeaning: 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.
Like your body's in the room but you're not really there / Like you have empathy inside but you don't really care / Like you're fresh outta love but it's been in the air / Am I past repair?2022 January 28, Em Beihold, Nick Lopez, Dru DeCaro, “Numb Little Bug”, in Egg in the Backseat, performed by Em Beihold:
Three steps to owning it
- Pick one meaning above and read its model sentence out loud.
- Say who or what the word is about in your own life, then build a sentence around that.
- Check it against the definition: would a careful reader understand exactly that meaning?
6 The mastery game
Play it here, or print it and do it with pen and paper. At the end you will know the meanings, history, origin and original meaning — and you will have used the word yourself.
Say it, then spell it
empathy
/ˈɛmpəθi/
Say the word out loud three times, slowly. Notice the stressed syllable. When you are ready, hide it and spell it from memory.
Activate Words · Word-mastery worksheet · Name: ______________________ Date: __________
empathy
/ˈɛmpəθi/ · noun
Step 1 — Say it and write it
Say “empathy” out loud three times. Then cover the word and write it three times from memory.
Step 2 — Know every meaning
Read each definition. Then write it again in your own words.
Step 3 — History and origin
Write the word’s journey back in time (each language and form):
Write three words built from “empathy” and what each means:
Step 4 — Original meaning
The earliest traceable form is Ancient Greek ἐμπάθεια. What did it mean?
How does that original meaning connect to the meanings today?
Step 5 — Use it yourself
☐ I can explain its meanings ☐ I know its history ☐ I know its original language ☐ I know its original meaning ☐ I can use it confidently
Answer key — empathy
Origin: D. Ancient Greek (Ancient Greek ἐμπάθεια)
Journey: English empathy ← Ancient Greek ἐμπάθεια ← Ancient Greek ἐν + πάθος
Some derivatives: empath, empathic, empathical, empathist, empathogen, empathyless, hyperempathetic, hyperempathy
Original meaning: Ancient Greek ἐμπάθεια — “passion”
Built from: ἐν “in, at” + πάθος “feeling”
Etymology: A 20th-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.
Sources: Wiktionary “empathy” (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/empathy#English), CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org; Princeton WordNet 3.0; Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913, public domain) via GCIDE. Worksheet from https://activatewords.com/w/empathy