'empathetic-seeming' is a modern English compound formed from 'empathetic' + 'seeming'. 'empathetic' ultimately derives from Greek 'empatheia' (ἐμπάθεια) via the noun 'empathy' (coined in English in the late 19th / early 20th century, influenced by translations of German psychological terms), where the Greek elements meant 'in' (em-/en-) + 'feeling' (pathos). 'seeming' comes from Old English and Middle English words meaning 'to appear' or 'to be fitting'.

'empathetic' entered English through the adoption of the noun 'empathy' (influenced by German psychological usage such as Einfühlung) and developed the adjective 'empathetic' in modern English; 'seeming' evolved from Old English/Middle English verbs meaning 'to appear', and the hyphenated compound 'empathetic-seeming' is a contemporary formation used to indicate the appearance of empathy.

Initially the element 'empathetic' referred to matters relating to empathy (the capacity to understand/share feelings); when combined as 'empathetic-seeming', the compound's meaning shifted to emphasize appearance—'appearing to be empathetic' rather than necessarily being so.