Key Difference: Some people don’t know the exact meanings of the words Apathy and Empathy. Because they think that these words are related to each other and there is no difference at all. Literally, you need to know that, these two terms are related to each other, but there is a contradiction in their meanings, on that note, Apathy, and Empathy or opposite to each other. Apathy is used when there is a lack of interest. Whereas, empathy is used to show feelings for others or understand someone’s feelings in their way. This post let you know the contradictions of these terms with proper explanation.
Apathy: There is nothing worse than apathy.
Empathy: This TV program doesn’t create empathy.
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Apathy:
Lack of interest in everything.
Apathy is not having much interest in anything. In other terms, we can define apathy as, the absence of passion and insensibility. Let’s see an example to make it clear. How do you overcome this apathy? From this question, we might understand that someone asks, how do you get rid of this insensibility? Here, we come up with another example. Tell me the meaning of apathy.
How Do We Spell the Word Apathy?
Phonetics pronunciation of the word Apathy is ˈæp.ə.θi. And this word sounds like the following audio.
Enunciation:
Syllabification refers to the process of division of words into smaller parts. It is commonly known as syllables. With its help, you can easily read and spell the word accurately. Here, you will see how to split the word “Apathy” by syllables.
- The word “Apathy” has three syllables.
- It can be divided into “Ap-a-thy.”
Using “Apathy” in sentences:
- He was sunk in apathy after his failure.
- There is still public apathy.
- How can we overcome voter apathy?
- It is not about apathy and then corrective action.
- Help us fight apathy.
Empathy:
Understand the feelings of others.
The term empathy refers to understanding the pain of others. Simply to say, if you put your leg on other shoes and walk in the same way they did and understand the pain that they felt before. Let’s see an example to make it clear for you. Everyone should show some empathy for the people who faced difficulties in their past. In this statement, we might understand that everyone needs to understand others’ difficulties. Here we come up with another example. Empathy creates a special bond between two persons.
How Do We Spell the Word Empathy?
Phonetics pronunciation of the word Empathy is ˈem.pə.θi. And this word sounds like the following audio.
Enunciation:
Syllabification refers to the process of division of words into smaller parts. It is commonly known as syllables. With its help, you can easily read and spell the word accurately. Here, you will see how to split the word “Empathy” by syllables.
- The word “Empathy” has three syllables.
- It can be divided into “Em-pa-thy.”
Using “Empathy” in sentences:
- I didn’t have empathy for such cruel characters.
- He feels empathy for his friend.
- Lilly had a deep empathy for pet animals.
- Every policeman shows empathy for others.
- I feel empathy when I saw his eyes.
Compare: Apathy Vs Empathy
This table will show the contradiction between the words’ Apathy and Empathy.
| Apathy | Empathy | |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Lack of interest in everything. | Feel for others. |
| Synonyms | Indifference, passivity, unresponsiveness | Understanding of, sensibility with, awareness of |
| Antonyms | Interest, passion | distance |
| Etymology | early 17th century: from French apathie, via Latin from Greek apatheia, from apathēs ‘without feeling’, from a- ‘without’ + pathos ‘suffering’. | early 20th century: from Greek empatheia (from em- ‘in’ + pathos ‘feeling’) translating German Einfühlung . |
| Examples | He alternates his laziness with apathy. Extreme poverty will reduce them to a state of apathy. This kind of attitude will lead to apathy. | I felt real empathy for what has happened to her. He felt the empathy between them. Nowadays, no one has empathy for others. |
Resources and References:
Resources: Cambridge Dictionary (Empathy, Apathy), Merriam-Webster (Empathy, Apathy), Collins Dictionary (Empathy, Apathy), Dictionary.com (Empathy, Apathy)
Reference: Dictionary.Cambridge.org[1], Merriam-Webster.com[2], CollinsDictionary.com[3], Dictionary.com[4].