empathy

Everyday

1. The ability to understand and share the feelings of another person, as if you were in their place. tree →
2. Feeling with someone, not just for them. tree →

In the lessons

In school and ethics lessons empathy is taught as a key skill: imagine how the other person feels before you act. In stories characters with empathy notice when someone is sad. Phrases: «show empathy», «have empathy for», «feel empathy», «put yourself in someone's shoes».

Examples

• Empathy means putting yourself in someone else's shoes. tree →
• She showed empathy when her friend's dog died. tree →
• Good doctors have empathy for their patients. tree →
• Reading stories can help us build empathy. tree →
• He lacked empathy and laughed when Tom fell. tree →
• Our teacher asked us to show empathy to the new boy. tree →

Note

Uncountable. Adjective: empathetic or empathic; verb: empathise/empathize (with). Trap: sympathy means feeling sorry for someone; empathy means feeling what they feel. Both are kind.