1. An Empath is a person with a preternatural ability to apprehend the emotional state of another individual.

2. When the term Empath is used in online communities, it takes on a new meaning. Essentially it means a person with a preternatural ability to completely misunderstand the mental or emotional state of themselves and others.

3. A person who has the ability to understand and share in the feelings of another.

4. When one flips the coin of the title Empath, they come face to face with the darker side of Empathy or that of the Empathic Parasite. This type of person utilizes their ability to understand and share in the emotional states of others to manipulate people and situations to bring themselves front and center. These same people then begin to sustain themselves on the emotional energy of others, often leaving them feeling drained and/or exhausted.

5. Another definition of Empath is that of the Empathic Guru. The Empathic Guru is someone who believes it is their mission in life to do outreach to others and help guide them on their spiritual path to perfection, enlightenment, or infinite peace. In the doing, they willingly set themselves, their needs and wants, aside and sacrifice themselves for others, because this is where their sense of self and self worth rises out of.
Deanna Troi, from the television series Star Trek The Next Generation, brought the term Empath to the forfront of mainstream social consciousness with her abilities to feel the emotional currents of those around her, even at relatively long distances.
by EmberDust September 13, 2011
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In lay terms, being Empathic means being able to feel what another person is feeling, either emotionally, physically, or both (receiving emotional or sensory information through non-physical or "extra-sensory" means).

A true Empath can sense or experience the emotions and/or physical sensations of others, both in close proximity, and/or at a distance.

Advanced Empaths also sometimes have the ability to ‘draw out’ physical or emotional pain from another person and take it into their own body, with the intention of then releasing or expelling that pain and providing temporary or permanent relief for the subject.

An Empath is often highly aware of the health and state of mind of their loved ones, no mater how physically near or far away the individuals may be. It is not uncommon for an Empath to ‘freak out’ for no reason, only to discover later that a friend or family member went through some sort of trauma at that exact moment. This is particularly noticeable in twins or other Empaths who spend a great deal of time together, as they will often physically experience the same traumas as their loved ones.
For example, one girl suddenly experienced a severe asthma attack and nearly died in the middle of a supermarket, only to find out later that her twin sister had accidentally inhaled battery acid and was being treated at a nearby hospital. The accident and the asthma attack happened almost simultaneously, in different parts of the city.

Similarly, many Empaths experience a constant barrage of unexplainable aches, pains, and mood swings, not realizing that they are experiencing the physical and emotional states of their friends and loved ones.

Sadly, many are misdiagnosed as suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, bi-polar or other mood/personality disorders, schizophrenia, or even hypochondria.

For a detailed treatise on this subject, please read the article "Feeling a Little Empathic - A Survival guide for the Extraordinarily Sensitive" by David M. Burgess, available for free online, or for purchase in booklet form through CafePress.
by Catalyst1122 July 27, 2011
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An empath is a person who is gifted in senceing other peoples emotion and is aloud to feel outher peoples pain to help cope and to help heal withothers emotional scares
girl: u just hit me in the face and i didn't feel a thing

dude: *taps girl on shoulder* u might not of but i sure did *rubs side of face*
by mobid weasle March 17, 2005
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Someone with autism (or a related social disability) who believes themself to be able to read the emotions of others on a superhuman level. Ironically, self-described empaths typically develop emotional maturity much later than their peers. This causes them to perceive the basic human ability to pick up on social cues as extraordinary and unique. A perfect example of the Dunning-Kruger effect.
Random stranger in Walmart: "Take a fucking shower dude! You stink!"
Empath: "Hmm... this person appears to be annoyed for some reason."
by InternetPoopStalker January 18, 2022
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Typically a person who is very empathetic and is capable of understanding someone elses feelings.

Other than that, there are some narcissistic butts that think they know more about your feelings than you do yourself, and label themselves as an Empath.

"You must be sad," examined Bill.

"Actually, I am not sad at all," Lucy explain.

"Yes, you are, you don't have to hide your emotions," Bill replied.

"I am not sad though," Lucy said, "I am actually doing pretty fine."

"It's okay Lucy, I am an empath, I know what you're experiencing," Bill said.

Lucy actually wasn't sad during this, of course Bill didn't seem to care because he thought he has some superpower to read one's mind.
Bill was an Empath, even though he is the only one who would ever label himself that.
by Koyovi January 14, 2022
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Self professed Empaths feel their intense(nearly always negative)awareness of other people,is a sign of their deep empathic sensitivity rather than a classic misanthropic response to others who one sees purely as objects to be used to provide ones own narcissistic supply of attention.
"I knew I was a total Empath by my inability to be around children,the elderly,the sick&the elderly,the disabled,the poor&needy."
by Lümpen Troll September 6, 2022
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Take on a lot of people's issues and try to solve the world's problems (yes its real)
Person 1: Zac is an empath
Person 2: is that real?
Person 1: yes it is real, look it up
by SomeoneElseWhoCares October 17, 2020
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