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
Regardless, there’s a clear symbolism to Clark empathizing and embracing a bloated externalization of his own inchoate fury until someone with an outside perspective disturbs his peace, and that fury breaks loose and devours him.
—
Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 29 May 2026
Teammate Malinin, who also had a number of uncharacteristic mistakes in his free program and fell from first to eighth in the men’s event, watched in surprise in the arena, empathizing with the disbelief and pain on Glenn’s face.
—Alice Park, Time, 18 Feb. 2026
For the growing Muslim community in the Bay Area, abstaining from eating or drinking during the day is regarded as an act of worship by practicing self-restraint, growing closer to God and empathizing with people who are poor and hungry.
—Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 18 Feb. 2026
The devout see benefits, including practicing self-restraint, cultivating gratitude and empathizing with people who are poor and hungry.
—Mariam Fam, Los Angeles Times, 17 Feb. 2026
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
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
Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 29 May 2026
Teammate Malinin, who also had a number of uncharacteristic mistakes in his free program and fell from first to eighth in the men’s event, watched in surprise in the arena, empathizing with the disbelief and pain on Glenn’s face.
—Alice Park, Time, 18 Feb. 2026
For the growing Muslim community in the Bay Area, abstaining from eating or drinking during the day is regarded as an act of worship by practicing self-restraint, growing closer to God and empathizing with people who are poor and hungry.
—Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 18 Feb. 2026
The devout see benefits, including practicing self-restraint, cultivating gratitude and empathizing with people who are poor and hungry.
—Mariam Fam, Los Angeles Times, 17 Feb. 2026
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
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
-
Comfort shows are comforting for a reason.—
Mark Travers,
CNBC,
7 June 2026
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Our beloved vegetable side dishes and fruit-forward desserts make up the very framework of our flavor memories, conjuring fond smiles with their bright colors and comforting flavors.—
Josh Miller,
Southern Living,
31 May 2026
Verb
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They could be seen hugging and consoling each other.—
Lisa Rozner,
CBS News,
19 May 2026
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The outlet reported family members were seen embracing and consoling one another.—
Brittany Miller,
FOXNews.com,
19 May 2026
Verb
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Sora 2, OpenAI’s problematic generative video platform, was abandoned last December, reassuring many copyright holders.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
31 May 2026
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Starbucks recently posted stronger-than expected quarterly earnings, reassuring investors who have been closely watching traffic trends, pricing and operational improvements under the new leadership team.—
Brandon Gomez,
CNBC,
28 May 2026
Verb
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The city issued a statement on Monday, apologizing for the incident and assuring the public that the inclusion of the images was not intentional.—
Hannah Fry,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
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On Sunday, Quentin Coleman’s 3-point try missed at the buzzer, assuring Canada the win.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Empathizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/empathizing. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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