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

But, as is the case for millions of people around the world, emotional intelligence wasn’t something that came to him naturally. —Kevin Kruse, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026

Still, your emotional intelligence is your superpower right now. —Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 28 Jan. 2026

Choosing a better approach in that moment is one of the clearest signals of emotional intelligence. —John Bowe, CNBC, 28 Jan. 2026

This approach aligns with a broader shift in the dating‑app market toward emotional intelligence and mental‑health‑aware design, where AI is used to reduce burnout and anxiety, not just maximize swipes. —Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 27 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1978, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for emotional intelligence

• counterintelligence