What term refers to understanding someone else's feelings without necessarily agreeing with them?

The term that accurately describes understanding someone else's feelings without necessarily agreeing with them is empathy. Empathy involves recognizing and validating another person's emotional experience, allowing you to see things from their perspective. It creates an emotional connection and fosters effective communication since it shows that you appreciate their feelings, even if your thoughts or opinions differ.

This distinction is important because empathy can lead to deeper interpersonal relationships and enhance conflict resolution by showing that you respect another's feelings. In contrast, sympathy often involves feelings of pity or sorrow for someone's situation, which does not require the same level of emotional connection or understanding. Compassion goes a step further by not only understanding and feeling for someone but also wanting to help. Comprehension simply refers to an understanding of concepts or ideas without the emotional component involved in empathy.