as in sympathizing
to have the same feelings as another person; to feel empathy for someone
—often + with
He learned to empathize with the poor.
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Recent Examples of empathizing
Whatever your preconceived notions about Feldman are, Hume’s film will expand and challenge them; the movie’s greatness lies in its ability to capture all of Feldman’s contradictions and self-destructiveness, empathizing with him without soft-pedaling his sins.
—
Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 23 Jan. 2026
Desai does have a Tolstoyan talent for both empathizing with and skewering the upper classes from within.
—Sanjena Sathian, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2025
That is, if a child is not well-loved, or does not routinely experience others empathizing with his or her distress, then that child will learn to fear and suspect others and will be lacking empathic skills.
—Howard Steele, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
The response was either reinforcing the emotion by agreeing and empathizing or reinterpreting the situation to help the person see it differently.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025
In his bite-sized segments on YouTube, Caprio is often seen empathizing with those in his courtroom.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 23 Aug. 2025
Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 23 Jan. 2026
Desai does have a Tolstoyan talent for both empathizing with and skewering the upper classes from within.
—Sanjena Sathian, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2025
That is, if a child is not well-loved, or does not routinely experience others empathizing with his or her distress, then that child will learn to fear and suspect others and will be lacking empathic skills.
—Howard Steele, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
The response was either reinforcing the emotion by agreeing and empathizing or reinterpreting the situation to help the person see it differently.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025
In his bite-sized segments on YouTube, Caprio is often seen empathizing with those in his courtroom.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 23 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for empathizing
Verb
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Whip up a batch of this Sriracha Chicken Noodle Soup—made with ramen and served with extra Sriracha sauce—for a warm, comforting soup with a little spice.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
11 Feb. 2026
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Watching Malinin skate, Glenn couldn’t hide her anxiety and received comforting hugs from Bates in the Team USA box.—
Alice Park,
Time,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Heads hung low, players consoling one another or screaming obscenities at no one in particular, the care factor off the charts.—
Mirjam Swanson The Orange County Register,
Arkansas Online,
22 Jan. 2026
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But neighbors in the tent encampment ushered Lolita away from the scene of violence, consoling and protecting her – just as Cornelius did for her years ago.—
Holly Yan,
CNN Money,
29 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Anyone who has seen a shark fin break the water and then disappear knows this is not reassuring.—
Josh Tyrangiel,
The Atlantic,
10 Feb. 2026
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At least two other Spanish-language schools in Boise sent notes to parents reassuring them that their staff members, many of whom are immigrants, all have proper documentation, according to one school’s director and a letter shared with the Statesman that was sent by another school.—
Alex Brizee,
Idaho Statesman,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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White, who finished with 10 points and six rebounds in 28 minutes, passed the ball out where it was stolen by Atwell, who missed another deep 3 with one tick remaining, assuring KU the win.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
3 Feb. 2026
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Some fears exist among the British right that Reform’s success could still be squashed by an alliance of Labour, the Green Party, the Lib Dems, and a confederation of minor parties if a pact is not struck with the Conservatives, assuring a unified right-wing bloc.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Empathizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/empathizing. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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