What Are The Definitions Of Sympathy And Empathy?

Oh God, this is one my undergraduates ask me all the time and it drives me nuts, truly nuts, not them asking, but the discussions afterwards, especially when I teach horse riding, no just kidding, but it tends to get in the way.

Let me give you some definition and see if you can make out the difference for yourself.

Sympathy is acknowledging that someone is in pain.

Empathy is knowing, understanding and feeling that shared pain with them.

In the thesaurus, empathy is actually a synonym of sympathy, which certainly confusing enough.  

Getting hung up on definitions of words is crazy, it's perfectable to say, I am using the word sympathy to mean this and the word empathy to mean this and then to use them as you have described before that.

It's like the difference between Naturalism and Realism, they're only words people, get a life :)

In my own words:Sympathy-showing emotion that someone else is feeling something, and trying to help them.

Empathy-hearing someone's story and feeling in a sense what they're going through, sharing the emotions with them.

Oh I know this one i did it in drama today.
Sympathy:-Feel bad or sorry for something or someone.
Empathy:-To put yourself in someone else's shoes and try to imagine how they are feeling and what they are going through.