The terms and empathy and sympathy are often confused, and with good reason. Both of the words deal with the relationship one has to the feelings and experiences of another. Today we explore the differences between these terms and how they are most commonly used.
Both sympathy and empathy have roots in the Greek term páthos meaning “suffering, feeling.” The prefix sym- comes from the Greek sýn meaning “with, together with” and the prefix em- derives from the Greek en- meaning “within, in.”
Sympathy is the older of the two terms. It entered English in the mid-1500s with a very broad meaning of “agreement or harmony in qualities between things or people.” Since then, the term has come to be used in a more specific way. Nowadays sympathy is largely used to convey commiseration, pity, or feelings of sorrow for someone who is experiencing misfortune. This prevailing sense is epitomized in the category of greeting card most often labeled “sympathy” that specializes in messages of support and sorrow for those in a time of need.
Consider the following examples:
“There was little sympathy in England for David Beckham … when he received a red card in a 1998 World Cup loss to Argentina.” –New York Times, July 2, 2015
“…the new [Facebook] feature would automatically replace the existing ‘like’ button with a ‘sympathize’ one when users tag their statuses with a negative emotion, like ‘sad’ or ‘depressed.’” –New York, December 6, 2013
Empathy entered English a few centuries after sympathy—in the late 1800s—with a somewhat technical and now obsolete meaning from the field of psychology, which referred to the physiological manifestation of feelings. Unlike sympathy, empathy has come to be used in a more broad way than it was when it was first introduced into the lexicon; the term is now most often used to refer to the capacity or ability to imagine oneself in the situation of another, thereby vicariously experiencing the emotions, ideas, or opinions of that person.
Consider the following examples:
“…many of us believe that if more lives are at stake, we will — and should — feel more empathy (i.e., vicariously share others’ experiences) and do more to help.” –New York Times, July 10, 2015
“I think that’s almost what it is sometimes if you sum up what acting is. It’s just the ultimate expression of empathy.” –Emily Blunt, Los Angeles Times, December 8, 2014
To sum up the differences between the most commonly used meanings of these two terms: sympathy is feeling compassion, sorrow, or pity for the hardships that another person encounters, while empathy is putting yourself in the shoes of another.
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66 Comments
lol
learned this in 6 grade guidance class, haha!!!
I was a nurse for many years. In school we were taught we should empathize not sympathize with our patients. This means relate to and understand another’s experience/feelings/situation but not take them on as our own. It’s maintaining an emotional separation; it’s not taking on the feelings of others but still being able understand and be sensitive their needs in a particular situation.
Empathy is the ability to feel some one else pain in my heart. ♥
I like this explanation.
Ta da!!!! My first successful ‘blog’ comment.
Simplistically: sympathy=with empathy=within
I note:
we don’t say we sympathise with joy, it’s only about suffering.
We apply ‘empathy’ to general situations as well as specific and criticise those we think have little empathy, in extremis calling them psychopaths.
We say we “offer sympathy” and have greetings cards with the word on.
Sympathy has become associated with pity.
The meaning of ‘sympathy’ has become more social, or moral, even. We say we “have no sympathy” with someone suffering in consequence of their own fault, yet may have empathy.
Perhaps that’s why ‘empathy’ needed coining in the first place.
i would like this app but it has a lot of meanings to it so it is to much for me but i like empathy .!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OB = Only Bad? Old Bastard? Orange Basketball? Orange is the new Black?
Both are forms of commiseration:
Empathy — to UNDERSTAND what one may be going through not having gone through it yourself
Sympathy — to KNOW what one may be go going through because you have gone through it yourself
Thus, it is only possible for a man to feel empathy for labor pains, but a woman who has given birth may feel sympathy for another who might be going through the same thing she once did.
Empathy is to know the emotions of the subject (person) this can be felt from a distance especially if the person is special to the empath and has an outburst of emotion, good, bad or otherwise.
Sympathy is to think about how the subject (person) may be feeling In that situation drawing on ones own experiences which may be similar.
who is kez?
I agree and and It is simple!
Empathy is when expresses is simply yes I lost my spouse,parent,pet this is simple you are saying I really know what you are going thru. Sympathy is just a word of deep felt regret that you are hurting. Simple
While the basic definition listed here is the same as what I learned, the mechanic listed is different. The way I learned it, sympathy can be more voluntary, while empathy is more INvoluntary and automatic. Like you can choose to sympathize with someone – to feel sorry for them. But empathy is where you actually pick up on someone else’s emotions and feel them, whether you want to or not.
People will list different scientific or spiritual reasons for this, but one way or another, people will actually, unconsciously, give off their emotions, and some people are more sensitive to the emotional signals than others. It’s actually possible to have too much empathy – like some people could meet a person briefly and be overwhelmed by the other person’s emotions very strongly (overcoming their own emotions) for a very long time.
Also thought I’d mention: my martial arts teacher describes sympathy as seeing someone stuck in a deep hole and giving them a ladder. By contrast, empathy is jumping in the hole with them – so then you get two people stuck in the hole, unable to get out (“So don’t do that” he says).
I once heard a spiritual guru refer to the difference, and explained the only way to possibly help someone is empathy, and NOT to use sympathy. Sympathy is bringing yourself “vibrationally” to their level, misery loves company so to speak.
Empathy is understanding the emotions of the other individual, and then seeing them as someone who has the power to change their life. Despite these present challenges.
So is it proper to say ” I don’t empathize with you” when you are trying to say that you don’t feel bad for someone?
So basically sympathy is you don’t experience it but you do feel that there hurt. I see now that love at thirteen only longs for sympathy. THOSE THIN SLICES OF BURBURRY CHEESE
Kim if you feel that way don’t say anything. Just look solemn and move on.
No, quite the opposite. If you don’t feel bad for them you show them no sympathy. But if you understand why they feel bad, you empathise.
Not to empathise means you have no idea why they feel that way
Before the word ‘empathy’, people used ‘sympathy’ to mean empathy – ‘the sym’ means ‘with’ in the Greek; when people describe it in English now, they say ‘to feel for…’ (It’s popped up a bunch of times above
)
It’s only after the empathy appeared on the scene that it’s evolved to mean more and sympathy, less.
I find it interesting that there are still languages in which the word ‘empathy’ doesn’t exist (or if it does exist, it’s basically the word ‘empathy’, phoneticized.) That, to me, indicates that cultures feel a level of oneness with the feelings of people in a much richer and profound way than we give credit for, regardless of the word used.
Researchers claim that mirror neurons may play a role in empathy, so humans were feeling for/with each other then since the beginning of humanity. Before empathy was sympathy, but underlying both is the experience of the human condition that is much deeper than both.
In my own opinion,
[empathy] = is an act of showing or making gesture so that they will notice that you are available to comfort the feelings of a person.
[sympathy] = is an appropriate with a proper way of approach to a person who need somebody to comfort his/her emotion.
….thanks it adds my knowledge in reading!! specifically in English words.:)
blah blah blah is awso,me
I see, as a seventy something, that some of you are young and really desire to learn more about language. Bravo! If I empathize, I walk a mile in your moccasins and really care. Sympathy is good, but it implies less personal involvement.
We send sympathy cards because we feel sorry for you. We go to the funeral and/or bring food because we feel your pain and have empathy. I feel sympathy (pity) for those who don’t care about speaking well. If you’re reading this, empathy…be cause we’re all learners.
Both pointless Greek words borrowed by renaissance snobs who were in love with turning English into a snobby Latin/French/Greek hybrid. Like George Orwell said, “writers are always haunted with the notion that Greek and Latin words are mightier than Anglo-Saxon words”. That isn’t the case but many English speakers subconsiously slip into this way of thought without realising.
How about the perfectly good clear and lovely Anglish term: evensorrow = sympathy. No need to look in a dictionary of Greek for that..
Sympathy: when you feel sorry for someone.
Empathy: When feel someon’s pain. To consider someone’s state of emotion before yours. Simply to put someone before you.
ohhhhhh. so thats the difference
i get the two confused
same bro same
agree.. particularly since “lack of empathy” is a characteristic of a narcissist
lack lol
How can one feel sorry for another without putting oneself in another’s shoes? How can one put oneself in another’s shoes without feeling sorry? In other words how can one have sympathy without feeling empathy? Conversely, how can one feel empathy without having sympathy? If S, then E. If E, then S. Therefore, S=E. This “distinction” is like the emperor’s new clothes.
Absolutely, Irregardless. LET’S GET LOGICAL WITH THE FACTS, something the writer of this article seemed to ignore: Both words share “pathy”, but, nevermind that. Let’s just skip it. PATHY:(Greek) Suffering/feeling. SYM: More than one/done with another. EM: Within/Only 1/you. Sympathy: Suffering/feeling done/felt alongside others. Empathy: Suffering/feeling done/felt expressed alone. EMPATH: n “Empath” is, huh? It is a parability to understand what someone else is feeling without being told. Yes, I made that word up, but, you understood me, right? A “Sympath”, by very definition, is kind of an oxymoron -a great example of how the rules don’t always apply.
Think about empathy as being more relate-able to the experience. “I can imagine/feel your pain, because i also shared in a similar experience” (Empathy). While, on the other hand, if you couldn’t comprehend, or understand the depths or level of emotions/feelings that one is going through, you may ‘sympathize’ as a sense of “wanting” to care, without being able to fully comprehend it.
Hi I just wanted to tell you that i do agree w u completely! Besides, words can be tricked and confused…and also would prefer them explaining the definite in english grammar instead of them adding up in greek language or else, u know what I am saying? Actually I love to learn and we all will never stop learn….we are learning something new each and every single day with a big smile on our faces as well:) Besides I am profoundly deaf…no difference between hearing and deaf especially deaf just cant hear but capable of doing anything the same as hearing people as well smiling:) Thanks! Good day- Tiffany:-)
Cool
Could not “empathy” or “empathize” suggest that the speaker has actually experienced the misfortune of another? It has been in this context that I have understood the word. It seems to me that the word “sympathy” could also be used to suggest putting oneself in the same shoes as another, whereas “empathy” suggests a sort of mutual bond in commiseration.
No I believe empathy is being able to see a situation from someone else’s perspective regardless of whether you have actually been in a similar situation or not.
sympathy is feeling sorry for
empathy is feeling sorry with, feeling the same emotion that someone else is feeling, seeing the situation through another persons perspective.
I see people all the time who have sympathy for someone without having empathy; but having empathy without sympathy might be a little more challenging.
Sympathy is feeling sorry for someone. Empathy is when you feel someones pain.
yes so simple to summarize
sympathy_ be helpful to someone
empathy_ its shall be well.
I say sympathy is people identify with emotions others have because have same emotions and don’t know why. Empathy is someone further down the track of learning from emotion and understands why. em is within is understanding within. The em path of empathy is true perception, the true self. Please spell em reversed.
Good to know.
It might be advisable to examine quotations more carefully before using them. The statement attributed to Emily Blunt (a lovely and talented actress, by the way) may convey the idea of “empathy” adequately, but the first of its two sentences is poorly composed and itself ungrammatical. Three instances of the verb “to be” in one short phrase would be excessive, even if they were used appropriately, and these are not!
The sentence is grammatically correct, on second reading. What makes it seem inadequate, however, is the fact that the idea being expressed therein isn’t in totality and stems from a prior discussion.
That’s after ignoring the obvious lack of punctuation marks in that sentence but that can be attributed to the transcription of her speech. See if this makes more sense:
“I think that’s almost what it is, sometimes, if you sum up what acting is…”
Just 2 commas. A lot of difference.
Good description
When sympathy is expressed, you simply join or acknowledge the emotion of other. when you sympathize, you actually take no action to change that emotion.
When Empathy is expressed, you feel(imagine) internally other’s emotion. When you empathize, you understand the pain and suggest/take constructive action on your part to change the other’s state of mind or emotion.
For managers or parents, sympathy has no meaning and empathy can do a lot.
I don’t think feeling empathy requires that you change a person’s emotion or state of mind. I think it just means being able to imagine yourself in a person’s situation as opposed to simply generally feeling sorry for them.
I was always confused about these “sympathy and empathy” but I understood now. Thank you.
Empathy is not an action word.
This is very helpful to those that do not know how to distinguish between the two words and their meaning. Enjoy this service provide by the site.
Sympathy = “Oh, that sucks.”
Empathy = “I feel your pain.”
LOL
The best possible example
Well, that about sums it up!
Now I understand the two words that make 2 different meanings
I like the section of word fact. It makes me curious about different words..
My question is what is the correct adjectival form for someone who is feeling empathy. I nearly always see “empathetic” used, obviously from the “sympathy –> sympathetic”analogue. But I’ve also seen the word “empathic” used, often in older and frankly, more trustowrthy sources. This form is even highlighted as in improper word by most spell-checking algorithms.
I would try and use the internet before asking dictionary dot com – a thread on a forum for the English language (conveniently named “englishforums”) described the distinction like this:
emphatic=feel strongly about what you are saying.
empathic=when you share feelings or opinions as it they were your own
empathetic=nothing, not actually a word, added to dictionary due to frequent misuse.
That being said, Google spellcheck tells me “empathic” is wrong, and Google is the final arbiter on many debates and issues. I would go with whatever the current spell-check tells you – most people are observant enough to know what they’re reading. If you feel the need to err on the side of caution, I would default to “empathetic”. It depends, really, on whether you’re writing for an academic audience or an audience that wouldn’t know the difference.
We use words to communicate. When you want to communicate, communicate. In any form, if the other person understands what you are saying or writing, you’ve done your job. If the other person who just understood you declares a more factual way of expressing yourself, your conversation will have taken a very rude turn. At that moment, you will have a choice. I’m not talking about professionals.
OK
sympathy is feeling compassion, sorrow, or pity for the hardships that another person encounters, while empathy is putting yourself in the shoes of another.
You MUST put yourself in the shoes of another to sympathize with them. If you cannot, you cannot feel sympathy. Think about it.
You can deeply sympathise with a bereaved person but you cannot truly empathise without have experienced bereavement yourself. Someone who is sympathetic may still wonder why someone is still grieving a year or so later while still feeling a great deal of sympathy for the fact that they clearly are still grieving. Someone who empathises with that grief does not wonder, they know why.
i use sympathy WAY more than i use empathy. i think everybody does, right?
make
one on gangreen