comfort
Americanverb (used with object)
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comforts,
present (3rd person singular)
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comforted,
past participle, past
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comforting
present participle
noun
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comforts
plural
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relief in affliction; consolation; solace.
Her presence was a comfort to him.
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a feeling of relief or consolation.
Her forgiveness afforded him great comfort.
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a person or thing that gives consolation.
She was a great comfort to him.
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a cause or matter of relief or satisfaction.
The patient's recovery was a comfort to the doctor.
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a state of ease and satisfaction of bodily wants, with freedom from pain and anxiety.
He is a man who enjoys his comfort.
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something that promotes such a state.
His wealth allows him to enjoy a high degree of comfort.
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Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S. a comforter or quilt.
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Obsolete. strengthening aid; assistance.
noun
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a state of ease or well-being
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relief from affliction, grief, etc
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a person, thing, or event that brings solace or ease
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obsolete support
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(usually plural) something that affords physical ease and relaxation
verb
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to ease the pain of; soothe; cheer
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to bring physical ease to
Synonym Usage
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. See ease.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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comfortlessnessnoun
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comfortingadjective
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comfortlessadjective
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uncomfortedadjective
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comfortinglyadverb
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comfortlesslyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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comfortsimple
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comfortssimple
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have comfortedperfect
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has comfortedperfect
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am comfortingprogressive
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are comfortingprogressive
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is comfortingprogressive
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have been comfortingperfect progressive
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has been comfortingperfect progressive
Past
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comfortedsimple
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had comfortedperfect
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was comfortingprogressive
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were comfortingprogressive
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had been comfortingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of comfort
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English verb comfortien, from Anglo-French, Old French conforter, from Late Latin confortāre “to strengthen,” equivalent to con- con- ( def. ) + -fortāre, verb suffix formed from Latin fortis “strong”; noun derived from the verb
Explanation
To comfort someone is to give solace or to soothe. You might comfort your brother when his favorite team gets knocked out of the playoffs. The verb comfort comes from the Latin word comfortare, which means “strengthen greatly.” To give comfort is to shore up the mood or physical state of someone else. It might take a long time to comfort your mother after her cat disappears. As a noun, comfort is anything that provides satisfaction or a relaxed and easy feeling. You might think that the comfort of your new shoes cannot be surpassed.
Vocabulary lists containing comfort
Stay Strong: Forc and Fort
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"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act III
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com-, con-
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“Pulled your late-night comfort picks,” it explained, “the usual craving fix when you order after dark.”
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
I can think of several situations I’ve experienced where having an extra set of clothes, a warm blanket, or a spare jacket would have made a world of difference to my comfort or safety.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
Oil futures added to earlier gains with the market seemingly taking little comfort from a third weekly build in U.S. commercial crude stocks that put inventories in line with their five-year average.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Other anonymous sources have described her to US media outlets as a "gatekeeper" and "comfort blanket".
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
“Hope is a little lie that the powerless use to comfort themselves.”
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
There’s a trade-off: We experience a little emotional discomfort by being constantly surveilled, but we are rewarded with the more physical comforts of safety and efficiency.
From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2026
The basic creature comforts she had taken for granted in New York, where she lived before departing to teach dance in Havana in 1970, were hard to come by after years of Soviet subsidies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026
But contact is growing rapidly today, even if outsiders are barred from entering Indigenous territory, with members curious about the wider world -- and the modern comforts it can offer.
From Barron's ● May 18, 2026
It's all the fun of camping - sleeping under the stars, waking up to beautiful views and toasting marshmallows round an open fire - but with creature comforts.
From BBC ● May 8, 2026
And then there is the sound of one’s own frightened heart, beating much too loudly as one begins to think one has made a dreadful mistake to ever leave the comforts of home.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
Dozens of police and emergency responders gathered outside the cordoned-off Debsirin Nonthaburi School on Friday, AFP journalists saw, while parents waited to pick up their children and tearful students and staff comforted each other outside.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
But, he feels comforted knowing that the building will be used to cater for children with some of the most complex needs in the borough.
From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026
I learned to regulate difficult emotions—sadness, anger, fear—much as I had comforted the wounded child alive within me.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026
He comforted terrified survivors and filled critical information voids by sending continual updates to friends and neighbors as firefighters fought the blaze.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 2026
Farmer and his team eventually left the room, but only after it was clear Joe had been comforted and Farmer had earned his trust.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
Chris adds: "Knowing that a person did this, as opposed to it being a natural thing that happened, it just does feel a little bit comforting for some reason."
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
“It’s been comforting that not everybody has it fully figured out yet,” participant Ignacio Mora said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
The weekend is almost in sight and you’re craving something comforting yet nourishing to help you conquer these final weeknights.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
The comforting reality is that the ballots are controlled by thousands of different state and local officials.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
The intricate molding on the copper ceiling sparkled in the afternoon sun, and the comforting smell of mudbean juice filled the air.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
