emotional intelligence

noun

: the ability to recognize, understand, and deal skillfully with one's own emotions and the emotions of others (as by regulating one's emotions or by showing empathy and good judgment in social interactions)

A large part of emotional intelligence is being able to think about and empathize with how other people are feeling. This often involves considering how you would respond if you were in the same situation.

—Kendra Cherry

We know that young children learn to identify, explain, and regulate their emotions, but we know much less about how children learn these things. They undoubtedly acquire some of their emotional intelligence from adults–—parents, teachers, and coaches, for example.

—Lawrence T. White

… thousands of workers during the "Great Resignation" discovered a new road map to success: being able to recognize and walk away from abusive situations. … Empathy, respectfulness and emotional intelligence are hallmarks of leaders for whom people enjoy working.

—Karla L. Miller

—abbreviation EI

called also emotional quotient

Examples of emotional intelligence in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Researchers found that emotional intelligence significantly predicted romantic relationship satisfaction. —Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025

The class is offered by the Peace and Justice Institute, an Orlando nonprofit that hosts workshops on topics like conflict resolution, understanding trauma, emotional intelligence and parenting. —Michael Cuglietta, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 July 2025

Contrary to conventional thinking, emotional intelligence (EQ) isn’t just a soft skill anymore. —Chris Schembra, Rolling Stone, 26 June 2025

Today’s jobs increasingly reward human strengths like emotional intelligence and problem-solving, not rote knowledge. —Kolawole Samuel Adebayo, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1978, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for emotional intelligence

• counterintelligence