PSLE English

Should you use empathy or sympathy?

Notes from the video ‘Diffusion Academy| PSLE English Grammar |Empathy Vs. Sympathy‘ :

What are the differences between empathy and sympathy?
Sympathy and empathy are often confused because both words contain -pathy which makes them sound sort of similar.

Both sympathy and empathy contain -pathy because they both have roots in the Greek term páthos which means “suffering” or “feelings”.

Although both words deal with emotions and are usually used in similar context like death or loss, they have different meanings.


So, when do we use empathy?
Empathy is a noun that means “the ability to identify with and share the feelings of another” and is used in situations that are more personal and specific.

This involves putting yourself in someone’s shoes to understand the emotions or opinions of that person.

Here are some examples of how you can use empathy in a sentence:
– As someone who lost my house due to a flood, I have empathy for those families who lost their house in the storm.
– People with a higher level of empathy excelled in the medical professions.


What is sympathy?
Sympathy is a noun that means “feelings of pity and sorrow for distress of another.” and is used when one feels compassion or sorrow for another person.

Here are some examples of how you can use sympathy in a sentence:
– We had great sympathy for the victims.
– Our sympathies are with them.

Other related content:

Whom vs Who
Much vs Many
Em Dash



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