as in sympathizing
to have the same feelings as another person; to feel empathy for someone
—often + with
He learned to empathize with the poor.
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Recent Examples of empathizing
Whatever your preconceived notions about Feldman are, Hume’s film will expand and challenge them; the movie’s greatness lies in its ability to capture all of Feldman’s contradictions and self-destructiveness, empathizing with him without soft-pedaling his sins.
—
Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 23 Jan. 2026
Desai does have a Tolstoyan talent for both empathizing with and skewering the upper classes from within.
—Sanjena Sathian, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2025
That is, if a child is not well-loved, or does not routinely experience others empathizing with his or her distress, then that child will learn to fear and suspect others and will be lacking empathic skills.
—Howard Steele, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
The response was either reinforcing the emotion by agreeing and empathizing or reinterpreting the situation to help the person see it differently.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025
In his bite-sized segments on YouTube, Caprio is often seen empathizing with those in his courtroom.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 23 Aug. 2025
Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 23 Jan. 2026
Desai does have a Tolstoyan talent for both empathizing with and skewering the upper classes from within.
—Sanjena Sathian, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2025
That is, if a child is not well-loved, or does not routinely experience others empathizing with his or her distress, then that child will learn to fear and suspect others and will be lacking empathic skills.
—Howard Steele, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
The response was either reinforcing the emotion by agreeing and empathizing or reinterpreting the situation to help the person see it differently.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025
In his bite-sized segments on YouTube, Caprio is often seen empathizing with those in his courtroom.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 23 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for empathizing
Verb
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This cafeteria-style macaroni and cheese recipe is full of comforting flavor.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
4 Feb. 2026
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Each bite mixed warm and cold, crisp and smooth – an easy, comforting finish to my little taste of summer.—
Evan Moore,
Charlotte Observer,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Heads hung low, players consoling one another or screaming obscenities at no one in particular, the care factor off the charts.—
Mirjam Swanson The Orange County Register,
Arkansas Online,
22 Jan. 2026
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But neighbors in the tent encampment ushered Lolita away from the scene of violence, consoling and protecting her – just as Cornelius did for her years ago.—
Holly Yan,
CNN Money,
29 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Ali Safavi, a senior official with the National Council of Resistance of Iran, said the images were aimed less at reassuring the public than at boosting morale among the regime’s weakening security forces.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
2 Feb. 2026
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His one reassuring constant has been little Bolo.—
Kara Finnstrom,
CBS News,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Some fears exist among the British right that Reform’s success could still be squashed by an alliance of Labour, the Green Party, the Lib Dems, and a confederation of minor parties if a pact is not struck with the Conservatives, assuring a unified right-wing bloc.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
26 Jan. 2026
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Bowe, who still holds the world record in the 1,000 m and also qualified in the 1,500 m for Beijing, decided to give up her 500-m spot, assuring Jackson would race at the Olympics.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Empathizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/empathizing. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
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