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

Nolan's approach emphasizes humanity and empathy, making characters like Penelope relatable and fostering audience connection, much like leaders should explain difficult decisions with emotional intelligence. — Kate Wieczorek, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026

The Vanstone fortune cannot be recouped until Magdalen finally develops a strong emotional intelligence—until her thinking and observation skills grow to match her acting skills, and then begin to work together. — Literary Hub, 24 July 2026

But behind the scenes, Asibuo adheres to a strict five-phase system that also teaches emotional intelligence and conversational skills while aiming to build self-confidence. — Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 24 July 2026

But the transformations that participants reported in their life stories were mostly psychological experiences, such as gaining emotional intelligence or undergoing a cognitive shift toward a new perspective. — Emma Gometz, Scientific American, 20 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1978, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for emotional intelligence

• counterintelligence