Two Similar Words
Don R. Varney
President/CEO Varney Speaks, Owner/Znutrition, Co Owner Varney Brown AI Designs, Author, Speaker, Consultant, Benefits EMCEE & Auctioneer, Conversational English Teacher, Photographer, US Air Force Veteran
Two similar English words are often confused: sympathize and empathize. Sympathize means to express sympathy based on the agreement; empathize means to express understanding based on experience. You can sympathize with someone without having personal experience with their plight. But empathy is stronger—it means, “I understand because I’ve been there myself.”
Don R. Varney
VarneySpeaks.com