Another Word for Empathy: 30 Synonyms With Examples

Another word for empathy is understanding, and the closest everyday alternatives are sympathy, compassion, and fellow feeling. None of these is a perfect match. Empathy usually means understanding and sharing what another person feels, while some alternatives only mean feeling sorry for them or wanting to help.

The best replacement depends on which part of empathy you mean. Some words focus on feeling for someone (sympathy, pity), some on caring and kindness (compassion, consideration), and some on insight (perceptiveness, attunement). Others describe connection (rapport, solidarity) or formal and literary ideas (solicitude, sensibility).

Quick list: sympathy, compassion, understanding, fellow feeling, sensitivity, kindness, consideration, insight, rapport, solidarity

This article looks at 30 alternatives to “empathy.” For each one you will find a meaning, US and UK pronunciation (IPA), a usage note, and an example. It also covers word pairs, common word partners, established expressions, word history, and common mistakes.

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At a Glance: Empathy Synonyms and Related Alternatives

Alternative	Part of Speech	Meaning	Register / Tone	Ideal Context
sympathy	noun	sorrow or pity felt for someone’s trouble	neutral	everyday support, cards, messages
compassion	noun	concern for suffering, with a wish to help	neutral, warm	caring professions, moral writing
understanding	noun	awareness of how someone feels	neutral, everyday	personal and workplace talk
fellow feeling	noun	shared feeling with other people	formal, literary	essays, reflective writing
sensitivity	noun	awareness of and care for others’ feelings	neutral	behavior, communication
kindness	noun	gentle, helpful behavior	neutral, warm	actions and character
pity	noun	sorrow for another’s bad luck	neutral, can sound superior	contrasts with empathy
attunement	noun	being in tune with another’s feelings	semi technical	counseling, parenting
rapport	noun	friendly relationship with mutual understanding	neutral	work, teaching, therapy
perspective taking	noun	seeing a situation from another’s view	technical	psychology, education

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Which Word Should You Use?

If you want to…	Use	Why
Say you feel sorry about someone’s trouble	sympathy	It is the most familiar everyday choice.
Show care and a wish to help	compassion	It adds the desire to ease suffering.
Show you grasp what someone feels	understanding	It is simple, neutral, and widely used.
Express sorrow after a death	condolence (usually condolences)	It is the standard word for grief messages.
Describe seeing something from another’s view	perspective taking	It names the skill directly.
Describe careful, thoughtful behavior toward others	consideration, sensitivity	They focus on how you treat people.
Describe a friendly, trusting connection	rapport	It is about the relationship, not one person’s feelings.
Describe shared support within a group	solidarity	It stresses unity with others in a shared cause.

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Exploring the Multiple Meanings of “Empathy”

1. Understanding and sharing another person’s feelings

• Meaning: The action of understanding and being sensitive to the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another person, as if experiencing them yourself.
• Explanation: This is the main sense. Empathy goes beyond feeling sorry for someone. It means seeing a situation from their side.
• Example: The nurse listened with empathy to the patient’s fears.

2. The ability to do this

• Meaning: The capacity to understand and share another person’s feelings.
• Explanation: Here “empathy” names a trait or skill that people can have, lack, or develop. It is common in phrases like “a person who lacks empathy.”
• Example: Good teachers have a lot of empathy for their students.

3. Projecting feeling into art or objects

• Meaning: The imaginative projection of one’s own feelings into an object, such as a work of art, so the object seems to share them.
• Explanation: This is the older, more technical sense, first used in philosophy, aesthetics, and psychology. It is rare in everyday English today.
• Example: Viewers felt empathy with the lonely figure in the painting.

4. A technical and professional term

• Meaning: A skill or concept studied in psychology, and valued in medicine, education, and business.
• Explanation: Psychologists often describe empathy as understanding a person’s point of view, and many separate its thinking side from its feeling side. In workplaces, the word is used for knowing what customers or colleagues need.
• Example: The training course teaches empathy for patients and their families.

Sources: Merriam Webster; Collins Dictionary; APA Dictionary of Psychology; Etymonline.

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Analyzing 30 Empathy Alternatives in Detail

Some alternatives below are close synonyms for one meaning of “empathy,” while others are context specific related words. The Usage note for each word says which is which.

Core Synonyms

1. Sympathy

IPA: /ˈsɪmpəθi/ (US and UK)

Definition: Feelings of pity and sorrow for someone else’s trouble.

• Usage: The closest everyday alternative, but not an exact synonym. Sympathy means feeling for someone. Empathy means feeling or understanding with them.
• Example: She sent a card to show her sympathy.

2. Compassion

IPA: /kəmˈpæʃən/ (US and UK)

Definition: Concern for another person’s suffering, together with a wish to help.

• Usage: A related alternative that adds the wish to help. Empathy may stop at understanding.
• Example: The doctor treated every patient with compassion.

3. Understanding

IPA: US /ˌʌndərˈstændɪŋ/ · UK /ˌʌndəˈstændɪŋ/

Definition: Awareness of and sympathetic knowledge about how someone feels.

• Usage: A close, neutral synonym for the main sense of empathy. It is common in everyday and workplace talk.
• Example: Thank you for your understanding while we fix the problem.

4. Fellow feeling

IPA: US /ˌfeloʊ ˈfiːlɪŋ/ · UK /ˌfeləʊ ˈfiːlɪŋ/

Definition: Sympathy and a sense of shared experience with other people.

• Usage: A close synonym with a formal, slightly literary tone. It fits essays and reflective writing better than casual speech.
• Example: A sense of fellow feeling grew among the strangers on the delayed train.

5. Sensitivity

IPA: /ˌsensəˈtɪvəti/ (US and UK)

Definition: Awareness of and care for other people’s feelings.

• Usage: A related alternative. It can also mean “easily hurt” or “reacting strongly to something,” so check the sentence.
• Example: She spoke about the loss with great sensitivity.

Warmth and Caring Alternatives

6. Kindness

IPA: /ˈkaɪndnəs/ (US and UK)

Definition: The quality of being gentle, helpful, and caring toward others.

• Usage: A related alternative that describes behavior, not understanding. A kind act does not always mean the person understands the other’s feelings.
• Example: The neighbors showed kindness after the fire.

7. Concern

IPA: US /kənˈsɜːrn/ · UK /kənˈsɜːn/

Definition: Care about someone or something, often with worry.

• Usage: A related alternative. It says you care, but not that you share the feeling.
• Example: He called to ask about her health, out of concern.

8. Consideration

IPA: /kənˌsɪdəˈreɪʃən/ (US and UK)

Definition: Careful thought about other people’s feelings or needs.

• Usage: A related alternative that stresses polite, thoughtful behavior. It is about how you act, not what you feel.
• Example: Please show consideration for your neighbors and keep the noise down.

9. Tenderness

IPA: US /ˈtendərnəs/ · UK /ˈtendənəs/

Definition: Gentle, loving care and kindness.

• Usage: A related alternative with a soft, affectionate tone. It is closer to warmth than to understanding.
• Example: She spoke to the frightened child with tenderness.

10. Warmth

IPA: US /wɔːrmθ/ · UK /wɔːmθ/

Definition: A friendly, caring quality in a person’s manner or feelings.

• Usage: A related alternative that describes a person’s personality. It does not say the person understands another’s situation.
• Example: The host greeted everyone with warmth.

11. Heart

IPA: US /hɑːrt/ · UK /hɑːt/

Definition: The ability to feel or show kindness and compassion.

• Usage: An informal, related alternative. “Heart” can also mean courage or spirit, so the context should make the meaning clear.
• Example: She showed real heart when she helped the family.

Sorrow and Pity Alternatives

12. Pity

IPA: /ˈpɪti/ (US and UK)

Definition: Sorrow felt for another person’s suffering or bad luck.

• Usage: A related alternative that can sound as if you are above the other person. Empathy does not carry that tone.
• Example: He didn’t want pity; he wanted real help.

13. Commiseration

IPA: /kəˌmɪzəˈreɪʃən/ (US and UK)

Definition: Sympathy shown for someone’s sorrow or disappointment.

• Usage: A related, fairly formal alternative. It suggests sharing someone’s bad luck, often in spoken comments.
• Example: We offered our commiseration when the team lost the final.

14. Condolence

IPA: US /kənˈdoʊləns/ · UK /kənˈdəʊləns/

Definition: An expression of sympathy to someone who has lost a loved one.

• Usage: A related alternative limited to grief. It is usually plural, as in “my condolences.”
• Example: She sent her condolences to the family.

15. Mercy

IPA: US /ˈmɜːrsi/ · UK /ˈmɜːsi/

Definition: Kind or forgiving treatment toward someone you have power over.

• Usage: A related alternative with a different focus. Mercy is shown by someone with power, while empathy can be felt by anyone.
• Example: The judge showed mercy and reduced the sentence.

Insight and Emotional Awareness Alternatives

16. Insight

IPA: /ˈɪnsaɪt/ (US and UK)

Definition: The ability to see the true nature of a person or situation.

• Usage: A related alternative. It covers the thinking side of empathy, but not the feeling side.
• Example: Her insight into her students’ struggles made her a great teacher.

17. Perceptiveness

IPA: US /pərˈseptɪvnəs/ · UK /pəˈseptɪvnəs/

Definition: The quality of noticing small details, especially about people.

• Usage: A related alternative. It describes noticing feelings, but not necessarily sharing them.
• Example: Her perceptiveness helped her sense when a friend was upset.

18. Attunement

IPA: US /əˈtuːnmənt/ · UK /əˈtjuːnmənt/

Definition: A state of being in harmony with, or aware of, someone’s feelings.

• Usage: A close, semi technical alternative. It is often used in counseling and parenting, where the focus is on tuning in to another person’s emotions.
• Example: A parent’s attunement helps a baby feel safe.

19. Intuition

IPA: US /ˌɪntuˈɪʃən/ · UK /ˌɪntjuˈɪʃən/

Definition: The ability to understand something quickly without conscious reasoning.

• Usage: A related alternative. It describes how someone senses a feeling, not whether they share it.
• Example: His intuition told him the child was afraid.

20. Perspective taking

IPA: US /pərˈspektɪv ˌteɪkɪŋ/ · UK /pəˈspektɪv ˌteɪkɪŋ/

Definition: The act of seeing a situation from another person’s point of view.

• Usage: A technical, related alternative common in psychology and education. It matches the thinking side of empathy.
• Example: Role play exercises build perspective taking in young children.

21. Emotional intelligence

IPA: US /ɪˌmoʊʃənəl ɪnˈtelɪdʒəns/ · UK /ɪˌməʊʃənəl ɪnˈtelɪdʒəns/

Definition: The ability to recognize, understand, and manage your own emotions and those of others.

• Usage: A related, broader concept. It often includes empathy as one part, so it is not an exact synonym.
• Example: The company looks for managers with strong emotional intelligence.

Connection and Shared Experience Alternatives

22. Rapport

IPA: US /ræˈpɔːr/ · UK /ræˈpɔː/

Definition: A friendly relationship in which people understand each other well.

• Usage: A related alternative. It describes the bond between people, not one person’s ability to feel.
• Example: The teacher quickly built a good rapport with the class.

23. Affinity

IPA: /əˈfɪnəti/ (US and UK)

Definition: A natural liking for, or sense of connection with, someone or something.

• Usage: A related alternative. It suggests feeling drawn to someone, but not understanding their feelings.
• Example: She felt an affinity with the other new students.

24. Kinship

IPA: /ˈkɪnʃɪp/ (US and UK)

Definition: A sense of closeness and shared feeling with others.

• Usage: A related alternative with a warm, slightly literary tone. It often appears as “a sense of kinship.”
• Example: The two travelers felt a kinship from the first day.

25. Solidarity

IPA: US /ˌsɑːlɪˈdærəti/ · UK /ˌsɒlɪˈdærəti/

Definition: Unity and mutual support among people who share a cause or situation.

• Usage: A related alternative that works at the group level. It is used for shared causes, not private feelings.
• Example: Neighbors stood in solidarity with the families who lost their homes.

26. Identification

IPA: /aɪˌdentɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/ (US and UK)

Definition: The feeling of being similar to, or sharing the feelings of, another person or character.

• Usage: A related alternative used in psychology and discussions of books and film. It is not the same as showing an ID.
• Example: Readers felt strong identification with the main character.

Formal and Literary Alternatives

27. Solicitude

IPA: US /səˈlɪsɪtuːd/ · UK /səˈlɪsɪtjuːd/

Definition: Care or concern for someone’s well being.

• Usage: A formal, related alternative. It suggests caring attention but not necessarily shared feelings.
• Example: The nurse asked after the patient with great solicitude.

28. Sensibility

IPA: /ˌsensəˈbɪləti/ (US and UK)

Definition: The ability to feel and respond to emotions, often in a refined way.

• Usage: A literary, related alternative. It can also mean artistic taste, so it is not always about feeling for others.
• Example: The novel shows the writer’s deep sensibility toward ordinary people.

29. Humanity

IPA: /hjuːˈmænəti/ (US and UK)

Definition: Kind, sympathetic, and generous behavior toward others.

• Usage: A related alternative. Do not confuse it with the other meaning, “all people.”
• Example: The rescuers acted with great humanity.

30. Benevolence

IPA: /bəˈnevələns/ (US and UK)

Definition: A kind, giving attitude toward others; a wish to do good.

• Usage: A formal, related alternative about goodwill and generous action, not about understanding.
• Example: The charity relies on the benevolence of its donors.

Sources: Merriam Webster; Collins Dictionary; APA Dictionary of Psychology.

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Empathy vs. Sympathy vs. Compassion

These three words overlap, and people often mix them up. A simple way to compare them is to look at what each one adds.

Word	Main idea	Often described as	Example
empathy	understanding or sharing another’s feelings	feeling with someone	“I know how hard that must be.”
sympathy	sorrow or pity for another’s trouble	feeling for someone	“I’m so sorry this happened.”
compassion	concern for suffering, plus a wish to help	feeling and wanting to help	“Let me help you through this.”

Merriam Webster notes that empathy has a technical use in psychology, philosophy, and aesthetics that sympathy does not. In everyday speech the three words overlap, and many people use them loosely. In careful writing, the table above is a useful guide.

Sources: Merriam Webster (entries for “empathy” and “compassion”); APA Dictionary of Psychology.

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Empathy and Opposite/Paired Word Pairs

Word	Paired Word	Note
empathy	apathy	A common opposite: apathy means lack of feeling or interest.
empathy	indifference	Means not caring about someone’s feelings.
empathy	callousness	A stronger opposite: cold, hard hearted behavior.
empathy	antipathy	A contrast: dislike or hostility instead of shared feeling.
empathy	sympathy	A close neighbor, not an opposite.
empathy	compassion	A frequent pairing in discussions of caring.

“Apathy” is the most natural opposite. It shares the Greek root pathos (“feeling”) with “empathy,” but starts with a  (“without”). “Antipathy” shares the same root, with anti  (“against”). “Sympathy” and “compassion” are not opposites. They are close neighbors that writers often compare with empathy.

Sources: Merriam Webster; Collins Dictionary; Etymonline.

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Common Word Partners of “Empathy”

Pattern	Common Partners	Example
adjective + empathy	deep, genuine, real, true, great	She showed genuine empathy for the victims.
verb + empathy	show, have, feel, express, lack, develop	Good leaders develop empathy over time.
empathy + preposition	for, with, toward	He felt empathy with the people he met.
noun + of/for + empathy	lack of empathy, capacity for empathy, sense of empathy	A lack of empathy can harm relationships.
with + empathy	listen with, lead with, respond with	The counselor listened with empathy.

Sources: Merriam Webster; Collins Dictionary.

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Idiomatic Phrases Featuring “Empathy”

“Empathy” does not appear in any well known idiom. The entries below are established terms and expressions that contain the word. They are fixed phrases in use today, not idioms.

1. Cognitive empathy

• Meaning: The ability to understand how another person thinks or feels, without necessarily feeling it yourself.
• Example: A negotiator needs cognitive empathy to see what the other side wants.

2. Affective empathy (also called emotional empathy)

• Meaning: The ability to feel what another person feels.
• Example: She cried during the story because of her strong affective empathy.

3. Empathy gap

• Meaning: A failure to understand or imagine the feelings of someone in a different situation from your own.
• Example: There is often an empathy gap between healthy people and those who are very ill.

4. Empathy map

• Meaning: A tool used in design and business to describe what a user thinks, feels, says, and does.
• Example: The design team built an empathy map before creating the app.

Sources: Merriam Webster; APA Dictionary of Psychology.

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Word Formation of “Empathy”

Etymology & Structure

“Empathy” is a noun built from Greek parts. It comes from empatheia, meaning “passion” or “state of emotion,” from en (“in”) and pathos (“feeling”). In English the word was modeled on the German Einfühlung (“in feeling”), which Etymonline says was coined in 1858 by the philosopher Rudolf Lotze as a translation of the Greek word.

Date and History

Etymonline dates “empathy” in English to 1908, and Merriam Webster gives 1909 as the first known use. The psychologist Edward Bradford Titchener wrote in 1909 that “empathy” could be coined as a rendering of Einfühlung. The word was first applied in philosophy, aesthetics, and psychology.

Word Class Variations

• Noun: empathy; empath (informal; a person said to sense others’ feelings strongly)
• Verb: empathize (British spelling: empathise)
• Adjective: empathic, empathetic
• Adverb: empathically, empathetically

Both “empathic” and “empathetic” are standard, and Etymonline dates each to 1909.

Sources: Etymonline (entries for “empathy,” “empathic,” and “empathetic”); Merriam Webster.

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Common Word Choice Mistakes

• Please accept my condolences: Please accept my condolences. The word is usually plural.
• She is very empathetic: She is very empathetic (or empathic). Use the adjective after “very.”
• I empathize with you: I empathize with you. Use the verb form.
• She gave me an emphatic ear: She gave me an empathetic ear. “Emphatic” means forceful, not understanding.
• I feel pity for you (when you mean you understand): I understand how you feel, or I sympathize. “Pity” can sound as if you are looking down on someone.
• He felt solidarity with his sad friend: He felt sympathy for his sad friend. “Solidarity” is for shared causes and groups.
• She has empathy for the patients: She has empathy for (or with) the patients.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the closest synonym for “empathy”?
Understanding and sympathy are the closest everyday words. Neither is an exact match, because empathy usually means sharing or closely grasping the other person’s feelings.

What can I say instead of “show empathy”?
You can sympathize, understand, relate to, feel for, or commiserate. Each has a slightly different tone, so choose by meaning.

What is a formal alternative to “empathy”?
Fellow feeling, solicitude, and sensibility are more formal. They are common in essays and literary writing.

What is the opposite of “empathy”?
Apathy and indifference are the most common opposites. Callousness is a stronger one.

What is the difference between “empathic” and “empathetic”?
Both are correct adjectives. They mean the same thing in everyday use, and “empathetic” is somewhat more common.

Can “empathy” be used for animals or art?
Yes. People can feel empathy for animals. The older sense of the word also covers feeling projected into a work of art or an object.

Is empathy the same as emotional intelligence?
No. Emotional intelligence is a broader ability that often includes empathy as one part.

What do you call a person who has empathy?
You can call them empathetic, understanding, compassionate, or sensitive. “Empath” is informal and often used for someone believed to sense feelings very strongly.

Can “pity” replace “empathy”?
Not usually. Pity can suggest you feel above the other person, while empathy suggests you see things from their side.

Which word works best in a condolence message?
Sympathy and condolences are the usual choices. They fit messages that express care for someone who is grieving.

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Conclusion

The closest alternatives to “empathy” are understanding, sympathy, compassion, and fellow feeling. Other words, such as kindness, consideration, rapport, and solidarity, cover related ideas but are not exact synonyms.

Context and meaning matter because empathy has several layers. It can mean understanding someone’s feelings, sharing them, or wanting to help. Words like pity and mercy change the tone, and words like insight and intuition cover only the thinking side.

To choose the right alternative, first decide which layer you mean: understanding, shared feeling, care, or connection. Then pick the word that matches it, and use the more formal choices, such as solicitude or sensibility, only when the writing calls for them.