comforting
Use Comforting in a sentence
fər adjective
affording comfort or solace.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
verb (used with object)
1.
to soothe, console, or reassure; bring cheer to: They tried to comfort her after her loss.
2.
to make physically comfortable.
3.
Obsolete. to aid; support or encourage.
noun
4.
relief in affliction; consolation; solace: Her presence was a comfort to him.
5.
a feeling of relief or consolation: Her forgiveness afforded him great comfort.
6.
a person or thing that gives consolation: She was a great comfort to him.
7.
a cause or matter of relief or satisfaction: The patient's recovery was a comfort to the doctor.
8.
a state of ease and satisfaction of bodily wants, with freedom from pain and anxiety: He is a man who enjoys his comfort.
9.
something that promotes such a state: His wealth allows him to enjoy a high degree of comfort.
10.
Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S. a comforter or quilt.
11.
Obsolete. strengthening aid; assistance.
Origin:
1175–1225; (v.) Middle English comfortien, variant of confortien, conforten < Anglo-French, Old French conforter < Late Latin confortāre to strengthen, equivalent to con- con- + -fortāre verbal derivative of Latin fortis strong; (noun) Middle English < Anglo-French, Old French, noun derivative of the v.
1175–1225; (v.) Middle English comfortien, variant of confortien, conforten < Anglo-French, Old French conforter < Late Latin confortāre to strengthen, equivalent to con- con- + -fortāre verbal derivative of Latin fortis strong; (noun) Middle English < Anglo-French, Old French, noun derivative of the v.
Related forms
com·fort·less, adjective
un·com·fort·ed, adjective
Synonyms
1. pacify, calm, solace, gladden. Comfort, console, relieve, soothe imply assuaging sorrow, worry, discomfort, or pain. To comfort is to lessen the sadness or sorrow of someone and to strengthen by inspiring with hope and restoring a cheerful outlook: to comfort a despairing person. Console a more formal word, means to make grief or distress seem lighter, by means of kindness and thoughtful attentions: to console a bereaved parent. Relieve means to lighten, lessen, or remove pain, trouble, discomfort, or hardship: to relieve a needy person. Soothe means to pacify or calm: to soothe a child. 1, 2. ease. 8. See ease.
1. pacify, calm, solace, gladden. Comfort, console, relieve, soothe imply assuaging sorrow, worry, discomfort, or pain. To comfort is to lessen the sadness or sorrow of someone and to strengthen by inspiring with hope and restoring a cheerful outlook: to comfort a despairing person. Console a more formal word, means to make grief or distress seem lighter, by means of kindness and thoughtful attentions: to console a bereaved parent. Relieve means to lighten, lessen, or remove pain, trouble, discomfort, or hardship: to relieve a needy person. Soothe means to pacify or calm: to soothe a child. 1, 2. ease. 8. See ease.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To comforting
00:10
Comforting
is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
comfort (ˈkʌmfət) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a state of ease or well-being |
| 2. | relief from affliction, grief, etc |
| 3. | a person, thing, or event that brings solace or ease |
| 4. | obsolete support |
| 5. | (usually plural) something that affords physical ease and relaxation |
| —vb | |
| 6. | to ease the pain of; soothe; cheer |
| 7. | to bring physical ease to |
| [C13: from Old French confort, from Late Latin confortāre to strengthen very much, from Latin con- (intensive) + fortis strong] | |
| 'comforting | |
| —adj | |
| 'comfortingly | |
| —adv | |
| 'comfortless | |
| —adj | |
| 'comfortlessly | |
| —adv | |
| 'comfortlessness | |
| —n | |
| comfort (ˈkʌmfət) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a state of ease or well-being |
| 2. | relief from affliction, grief, etc |
| 3. | a person, thing, or event that brings solace or ease |
| 4. | obsolete support |
| 5. | (usually plural) something that affords physical ease and relaxation |
| —vb | |
| 6. | to ease the pain of; soothe; cheer |
| 7. | to bring physical ease to |
| [C13: from Old French confort, from Late Latin confortāre to strengthen very much, from Latin con- (intensive) + fortis strong] | |
| 'comforting | |
| —adj | |
| 'comfortingly | |
| —adv | |
| 'comfortless | |
| —adj | |
| 'comfortlessly | |
| —adv | |
| 'comfortlessness | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
comfort
late 13c., from O.Fr. conforter "to comfort, help, strengthen," from L.L. confortare "to strengthen much" (used in Vulgate), from L. com- intens. prefix + fortis "strong." The n. (early 13c.) replaced O.E. frofor. The noun comforts (as opposed to necessities and luxuries) is from 1650s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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