comfort

[ kuhm-fert ]
See synonyms for: comfortcomfortedcomfortingcomforts on Thesaurus.com

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.

  1. Obsolete. to aid; support or encourage.

noun
  1. relief in affliction; consolation; solace: Her presence was a comfort to him.

  2. a feeling of relief or consolation: Her forgiveness afforded him great comfort.

  1. a person or thing that gives consolation: She was a great comfort to him.

  2. a cause or matter of relief or satisfaction: The patient's recovery was a comfort to the doctor.

  3. a state of ease and satisfaction of bodily wants, with freedom from pain and anxiety: He is a man who enjoys his comfort.

  4. something that promotes such a state: His wealth allows him to enjoy a high degree of comfort.

  5. Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S. a comforter or quilt.

  6. Obsolete. strengthening aid; assistance.

Origin of comfort

1
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- + -fortāre, verb suffix formed from Latin fortis “strong”; noun derived from the verb

synonym study For comfort

1. 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. 8. See ease.

Other words for comfort

Other words from comfort

  • com·fort·less, adjective
  • un·com·fort·ed, adjective

Words that may be confused with comfort

Words Nearby comfort

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use comfort in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for comfort

comfort

/ (ˈkʌmfət) /


noun
  1. a state of ease or well-being

  2. relief from affliction, grief, etc

  1. a person, thing, or event that brings solace or ease

  2. obsolete support

  3. (usually plural) something that affords physical ease and relaxation

verb(tr)
  1. to ease the pain of; soothe; cheer

  2. to bring physical ease to

Origin of comfort

1
C13: from Old French confort, from Late Latin confortāre to strengthen very much, from Latin con- (intensive) + fortis strong

Derived forms of comfort

  • comforting, adjective
  • comfortingly, adverb
  • comfortless, adjective
  • comfortlessly, adverb
  • comfortlessness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with comfort

comfort

see cold comfort; creature comforts; too close for comfort.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.