Sympathy and empathy are two commonly confused words. Apathy and antipathy, although not as common as their benevolent counterparts, are also easily confused. Both pairs of words have similar meanings, but are not quite the same.

These four words originate from the Greek word "pathos," meaning "experience" or "emotion."

Sympathy and Empathy

Out of the two words, empathy is much more recent. Sympathy was introduced almost 300 years before empathy. It's easy to confuse sympathy and empathy because they both are reactions to an emotional situation or experience that another person goes through. Sympathy is showing compassion and pity for someone, regardless of any personal understanding of the situation. Empathy, on the other hand, is putting yourself in someone else's shoes, or in other words, relating or sharing the experience with them without necessarily showing compassion.

For example, you are showing sympathy when you comfort a crying friend and feel pity for them because they are sad. You are showing empathy, however, when you understand the reason behind their sadness and imagine yourself in their position. Both sympathy and empathy are important: sympathy shows that you care about a person when they are facing a problem, and empathy shows that you understand their perspective and it may lead to a solution to their problem.

Apathy and Antipathy

Although these two words start with "a" and end with "pathy," they do not share a very similar definition. The prefix "a-" in front of apathy is found commonly in words (i.e. amoral, asexual) and means "without." With this information, it is clear that apathy is the lack of emotion or feeling. The prefix "anti-" in front of antipathy, also a common prefix (i.e. antihero, antisocial) means "against" or "opposite of." Antipathy is defined as a strong feeling of dislike, or an opposition in feeling.

For example, you are showing apathy for a person when you feel indifferent towards them and lack any interest in them. However, showing antipathy for a person is to consciously loathe them, which is still showing feeling towards them. Although these two words seem negative, they are important in our English language and can be used in a positive manner. Showing apathy or having no interest in certain topics can keep you focused on the aspects of life that matter to you. Having antipathies for negative institutions such as racism and sexism is also something positive and can encourage you to become active in tearing down these institutions.

These four words are emotions we feel from time to time. It is important to be able to sympathize with someone going through a hard time and giving them comfort and compassion. It is also just as important to empathize by imagining what someone is going through and offer them a helping hand, even if that help is to just listen. Feeling apathetic for those who try to put you down is also something that you can learn, which allows being focused on the people and interests that matter to you become a priority. Antipathies for societal behaviors like discrimination against certain groups of people and hate crimes can fuel movements and lead to effective change. Our emotions help us grow into a better version of ourselves, and as conscious and social creatures, we should embrace our ability to feel.