What does empathise mean?
To empathise is to understand and share another person's feelings by imaginatively stepping into their situation and experiencing it from their point of view. The word is chiefly British in this spelling, with American English preferring 'empathize', and it is almost always followed by the preposition 'with', as in 'she empathised with his frustration'. Empathising implies more than mere pity: unlike sympathy, which involves feeling concern for someone, empathy involves a kind of emotional participation in what they feel. The verb is widely used in discussions of psychology, counselling, parenting, leadership, and literature, where the capacity to empathise is treated as a marker of emotional intelligence. Coined in the early twentieth century from Greek roots meaning 'feeling into', it remains one of the most valued words in the vocabulary of human connection.
verbTo understand and share the feelings or experiences of another person by imaginatively entering into their situation; to feel empathy.
- To understand and share another person's feelings or experience by imaginatively adopting their perspective.
- (Less commonly) To project oneself into an object of art or nature and respond to it as if sharing its qualities.
"She could empathise with the anxiety of a first-time parent, having been one herself only a year earlier."
"As a former refugee, he could empathise with families starting over in a foreign country."
"Good negotiators empathise with their counterparts, seeking to understand the pressures behind their positions."
The word didn't exist until 1909, when a psychologist coined it to translate the German 'Einfühlung' — literally 'feeling into' — a term borrowed from aesthetics to describe how viewers project themselves into a work of art.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of empathise
The verb derives from 'empathy', coined around the first decade of the twentieth century by psychologists translating the German term 'Einfühlung' ('feeling into'), which had originally described aesthetic appreciation — projecting oneself into a work of art. It combines the Greek prefix 'em-' ('in') with 'pathos' ('feeling, suffering'). The root 'pathos' also underlies related words such as sympathy, apathy, and pathetic, all of which concern forms of feeling or suffering. The '-ise' ending reflects the British spelling convention; American English uses '-ize'.
Related word forms
How empathise is actually used
The spelling 'empathise' is standard in British English; American English normally uses 'empathize'. The verb is almost always followed by the preposition 'with' before its object. It carries a warm, positive connotation and is common in psychology, counselling, management writing, and everyday speech about relationships. Some style guides note that 'empathise with' is preferred over using it transitively.
Easily confused with empathise
To empathise is to feel with someone by sharing their emotional experience from within their perspective, while to sympathise is to feel for someone — sorrow or concern on their behalf without necessarily sharing the feeling itself.
'Empathize' is simply the American spelling of the same word; 'empathise' is the British spelling.