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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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 Their writing, though both full of empathy and mounting tension, couldn’t be more distinct. — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026 There is just the slow hiss and sigh of the machines, tucked safely out of sight, as social media filled with resistance to mask mandates, to empathy and authority, to the power of the state, and the chorus of anti-vaxxers grew. — Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026 From men wearing pink to push back against the pressures of toxic masculinity to women pushing back against unrealistic body standards, pink has become a color of defiant empathy. — Roy Stephen Canivel, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026 Not the kind of empathy that simply allows someone to understand another person’s struggles, but the kind that compels them to do something about it. — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for empathy

Recent Examples of Synonyms for empathy

Noun

But Trump’s persistent sympathy for Russia’s position remains a mystery of our time.

— Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
Public sympathy for Palestinians is widespread in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation, and the government has long supported an independent Palestinian state.

— Niniek Karmini, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of sympathy

Noun

The pity of the judge who imprisoned them here was cold comfort for a group of people who had little reason to trust any legal authority.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026
Still, the track eventually collides into a seasick wall of distortion that recalls lovesliescrushing’s weightless takes on shoegaze as Pitchkites sings of unmet expectations and self pity.

— Colin Joyce, Pitchfork, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of pity

Noun

No, any empathy felt for Pam Voorhees (Linda Cardellini) and her son, Jason (Callum Vinson), stems from natural human compassion.

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 13 Oct. 2026
His support of Misericordia reflected his deep compassion for the individuals and families who make up our community.

— Tom Barnas, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of compassion

Noun

For my body has betrayed that my personal Room 101 must be the mid-exposure realization of having miscalculated a mutual understanding.

— Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
This study challenges conventional understanding in neuroscience.

— Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of understanding

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“Empathy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/empathy. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of empathy

noun

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