# empathy

/ˈɛmpəθi/ (US) · /ˈɛmpəθi/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/empathy
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 3. drug name

noun · CEFR C2 · Slang · Archaic

an old slang name for the drug MDMA.

For teachers: a slang term for the drug MDMA (3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine), referencing its empathogenic effects.

- In the early days of the club scene, some people referred to the drug as empathy.
- The term empathy was briefly used as a street name for MDMA in the 1980s before ecstasy became the dominant moniker.

Teaching tip: This sense is largely obsolete and rarely encountered by modern speakers.

## Examples

- A good nurse shows empathy when listening to a sick patient.
- The manager handled the employee's personal crisis with deep empathy, offering extra time off and a listening ear.
- True empathy requires more than mere sympathy; it demands the cognitive and emotional effort to step outside one's own perspective and inhabit the lived reality of another.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.