empathize

English

Alternative forms

• empathise (British, Canadian, Australian)

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈɛmpəˌθaɪz/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Verb

empathize (third-person singular simple present empathizes, present participle empathizing, simple past and past participle empathized)

1. (intransitive) to feel empathy for another person

   empathize with someone

   • 2001, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Alias, season 1, episode 3:

     Must have been […] devastating when Kenny was killed. But I want you to know that you can trust me. I understand you. I empathize.

Usage notes

Used similarly to sympathize, interchangeably in looser usage. In stricter usage, empathize is stronger and more intimate, while sympathize is weaker and more distant; see empathy: usage notes.

Derived terms

• empathizer

Translations

to feel empathy for another person

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 同情 (zh) (tóngqíng)

• Finnish: eläytyä (fi), empatisoida, tuntea empatiaa
• French: compatir (fr), s’apitoyer
• German: mitfühlen (de), Mitgefühl haben, mitempfinden (de)
• Hungarian: együttérez (hu), megért (hu), empatizál
• Italian: avere empatia, simpatizzare (it)
• Japanese: 同情する (ja) (どうじょうする, dōjō suru)
• Korean: 동정하다 (ko) (dongjeonghada)
• Polish: współczuć (pl) impf
• Russian: сопережива́ть (ru) impf (sopereživátʹ), сочу́вствовать (ru) impf (sočúvstvovatʹ)
• Spanish: empatizar, sentir empatía
• Ukrainian: співпережива́ти impf (spivperežyváty)
• Vietnamese: đồng cảm (vi), thấu cảm (vi)