emotional intelligence
noun
: the ability to recognize, understand, and deal skillfully with one's own emotions and the emotions of others (as by regulating one's emotions or by showing empathy and good judgment in social interactions)
A large part of emotional intelligence is being able to think about and empathize with how other people are feeling. This often involves considering how you would respond if you were in the same situation.—
Kendra Cherry
Kendra CherryWe know that young children learn to identify, explain, and regulate their emotions, but we know much less about how children learn these things. They undoubtedly acquire some of their emotional intelligence from adults–—parents, teachers, and coaches, for example.—Lawrence T. White
Lawrence T. White… thousands of workers during the "Great Resignation" discovered a new road map to success: being able to recognize and walk away from abusive situations. … Empathy, respectfulness and emotional intelligence are hallmarks of leaders for whom people enjoy working.—Karla L. Miller
—abbreviation EI
Karla L. Millercalled also emotional quotient
Examples of emotional intelligence in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Macdonald is transforming from a robotic defensive mastermind to a full-fledged head coach with the vision and emotional intelligence to lead a team through heightened expectations.
—Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
As conversations around emotional intelligence and self-awareness become more normal, intuition feels less strange.
—Malana Vantyler, Sacbee.com, 4 Feb. 2026
Around the same time that the Genetic Studies of Genius started to yield questionable results, our collective attention turned away from IQ toward EQ, when Peter Salovey and John Mayer coined the term emotional intelligence in 1990, and Daniel Goleman popularized it with his 1995 book.
—Big Think, 3 Feb. 2026
Aikman -- who began working for the Dolphins in mid-December as a consultant in their GM search and later agreed to stay on in their search for a coach -- agreed with Eisen that Hafley displays emotional intelligence.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 3 Feb. 2026
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Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
As conversations around emotional intelligence and self-awareness become more normal, intuition feels less strange.
—Malana Vantyler, Sacbee.com, 4 Feb. 2026
Around the same time that the Genetic Studies of Genius started to yield questionable results, our collective attention turned away from IQ toward EQ, when Peter Salovey and John Mayer coined the term emotional intelligence in 1990, and Daniel Goleman popularized it with his 1995 book.
—Big Think, 3 Feb. 2026
Aikman -- who began working for the Dolphins in mid-December as a consultant in their GM search and later agreed to stay on in their search for a coach -- agreed with Eisen that Hafley displays emotional intelligence.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for emotional intelligence
Cite this Entry
“Emotional intelligence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emotional%20intelligence. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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