Hebrew

Noun

אֶמְפַּתְיָה • ‎(empatiá) f ‎(plural indefinite אֶמְפַּתְיוֹת, singular construct אֶמְפַּתְיַת־)

1. (countable and uncountable) empathy (intellectual identification of the thoughts, feelings, or state of another person)

Usage notes

Used similarly to סִימְפַּטְיָה ‎(simpatiá, “sympathy”), interchangeably in looser usage. In stricter usage, אֶמְפַּתְיָה ‎(empatiá) is stronger and more intimate, meaning that the subject understands and shares an emotion with the object – as in “I feel your pain” – while סִימְפַּטְיָה ‎(simpatiá) is weaker and more distant – concern, but not shared emotion: “I care for you”.