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

The author notes neuroscientist Antonio Damasio’s work with a patient known as EVR, whose case involved the latter causation: as described in the article, brain surgery changed EVR’s social and emotional intelligence. —Aaron Shattuck, Scientific American, 20 May 2025

Tracking effectiveness is critical to the success of EQ programs, but there’s a catch: Improvements to emotional intelligence are rarely linear. —Emmanuel Carrillo, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025

To have that kind of emotional intelligence, and talent, at such a young age is truly a gift. —Michileen Martin, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 May 2025

What sets Joan apart is her ability to integrate music, creativity, and emotional intelligence into the educational environment. —Jennifer Pierce, USA Today, 7 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1978, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for emotional intelligence

• counterintelligence