Three Greek parts build all ten words in this topic. path means feeling (or suffering), phil means love, and anthrop means human being. Add a prefix or a second part and you can read the word like a tiny sentence: phil + anthrop is “loves people,” and mis + anthrop is “hates people.”
Key idea
path = feeling: apathy (a- = without: no feeling), empathy (em- = in: feeling with someone), antipathy (anti- = against: a feeling against), pathos (what stirs feeling), telepathy (tele- = far: feeling across a distance). phil = love: philanthropist, bibliophile. anthrop = human: philanthropist, misanthrope, anthropology, anthropomorphic.
Once you know these parts you can guess dozens of other words: sympathy, philosophy (love of wisdom), philharmonic (love of harmony), anthropoid (humanlike).
The ten words
The roots at work
Common mistake
empathy (feeling with someone) is not sympathy (feeling sorry for someone). apathy (not caring) is not antipathy (active dislike).
| part | meaning | words |
|---|---|---|
| path | feeling, suffering | apathy, empathy, antipathy, pathos, telepathy |
| phil, phile | love, lover | philanthropist, bibliophile |
| anthrop | human being | philanthropist, misanthrope, anthropology, anthropomorphic |
| a- / em- / anti- / tele- | without / in / against / far | apathy / empathy / antipathy / telepathy |
| mis(o)- | hate | misanthrope |
empathy is feeling with someone, as if you were in their place. sympathy is feeling sorry for someone. You can sympathize with a friend whose team lost without sharing the feeling; empathy means you feel the loss too.