EMPATHY Synonyms: 108 Similar and Opposite Words

empathy

noun

Definition of empathy

as in compassion

the feeling that you understand and share another person's experiences and emotions He felt great empathy toward the poor.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of empathy Meanwhile, others showed empathy for Kaplan and her daughter. — Maressa Brown, Parents, 24 July 2026 Real situations require flexibility, empathy and transparency. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026 That starts with empathy, but many of us aren't sure what that actually sounds like. — Angela Haupt, Time, 22 July 2026 And that experience of empathy and compassion would connect us to a thread across time to people experiencing a terrifying and traumatic event, and to see that in our world now. — Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for empathy

Recent Examples of Synonyms for empathy

Noun

Pressure from protesters, and sympathy for their cause, has also led to the cancellation or disruption of many of Madison’s signature summertime events.

— Scott Bauer, Chicago Tribune, 25 July 2026
Ali rejects the sympathy often directed toward people with disabilities.

— ABC News, ABC News, 23 July 2026

Definition of sympathy

Noun

And that’s a pity, because birthright citizenship brings many practical benefits to the United States today—arguments that the nation needs to hear, given the campaign being mounted against it.

— Amanda Frost, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026
That is truly a pity because this brilliant thinker revolutionized both mathematics and physics.

— Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 23 June 2026

Definition of pity

Noun

Instead of meeting Haiti’s catastrophe with compassion, the administration instead has chosen to compound the trauma, the lawmakers argued.

— Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 23 July 2026
Third, technology should enhance human connection and compassion, making organizations more personal and engaging.

— Robert Reiss, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026

Definition of compassion

Noun

In highly specialized environments, success depends on deep contextual understanding, not broad knowledge.

— TerDawn DeBoe, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
There is an understanding within the club about the anxiety caused by that first batch of emails, which were received out of the blue.

— Andy Mitten, New York Times, 22 July 2026

Definition of understanding

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“Empathy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/empathy. Accessed 29 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of empathy

noun

Example Sentences

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