emotional intelligence

noun

: the ability to recognize, understand, and deal skillfully with one's own emotions and the emotions of others (as by regulating one's emotions or by showing empathy and good judgment in social interactions)

A large part of emotional intelligence is being able to think about and empathize with how other people are feeling. This often involves considering how you would respond if you were in the same situation.

—Kendra Cherry

We know that young children learn to identify, explain, and regulate their emotions, but we know much less about how children learn these things. They undoubtedly acquire some of their emotional intelligence from adults–—parents, teachers, and coaches, for example.

—Lawrence T. White

… thousands of workers during the "Great Resignation" discovered a new road map to success: being able to recognize and walk away from abusive situations. … Empathy, respectfulness and emotional intelligence are hallmarks of leaders for whom people enjoy working.

—Karla L. Miller

—abbreviation EI

called also emotional quotient

Examples of emotional intelligence in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

CEOs, surprisingly or not, on average, have the lowest emotional intelligence scores in the workplace. —Tony Gambill, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024

Nod more Being good at small talk usually means having a high emotional intelligence. —Aditi Shrikant, CNBC, 7 Dec. 2024

This is a career where customer service roles are just as valued, if not more so, than a corporate job; even just a couple of months working in a customer-facing role always helps develop emotional intelligence, stamina, and customer experience, all staples of a successful flying career. —Niccolo Serratt, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Dec. 2024

Key episode topics include: leadership, managing people, emotional intelligence. —Harvard Business Review, 4 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1978, in the meaning defined above