Master confusing words with ease
Sympathy vs. Empathy
Sympathy
/ˈsɪmpəθi/Examples:
However intense their sympathies, the war was still a European war.Her sudden kindness and sympathy was too much for me.'I will offer my sympathy.
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Empathy
/ˈempəθi/Examples:
She felt a deep empathy for abandoned animals.Jack's empathy allowed him to comfort his grieving friend.Through empathy, we can understand diverse perspectives.
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Ways to tell them apart:
- Empathy involves understanding what someone else is feeling because you have experienced it yourself.
- Sympathy, on the other hand, means you feel pity or sorrow for someone else's misfortune, but you may not have gone through the same experience.
- Empathy is about relating to and identifying with others on a personal level.
- Sympathy tends to be more about expressing kindness and offering help to others.
- Think of empathy as walking in someone else's shoes, while sympathy is hearing about their journey and offering support.
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