comfort

[ kuhm-fert ]

/ ˈkʌm fərt /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR comfort ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to soothe, console, or reassure; bring cheer to: They tried to comfort her after her loss.

to make physically comfortable.

Obsolete. to aid; support or encourage.

noun

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Obsolete. strengthening aid; assistance.

Words nearby comfort

comet, cometh, comeuppance, comex, comfit, comfort, comfort food, comfort letter, comfort station, comfort stop, comfort woman

Origin of comfort

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.

SYNONYMS FOR comfort

1 pacify, calm, solace, gladden.

1, 2 ease.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR comfort ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM comfort

com·fort·less, adjectiveun·com·fort·ed, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH comfort

comfit comfort

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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for comforted

But his reaction—awed, comforted, peaceful—is just a confirmation.
He’s Still Older, Even in the Moonlight: Woody Allen’s May-December Romances Inspire Scrutiny|Teo Bugbee|July 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Although Vanessa comforted herself with the pretence that I had two fathers, in reality—emotional reality, that is—I had none.
House of Cads: Growing Up Amid the Weirdness of Bloomsbury|Jessica Ferri|April 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Her hand tightened on mine and her head fell back upon my shoulder, but she still trembled and I petted her and comforted her.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show|Robert W. Chambers|February 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On the day that The Times (of London) reported that Brooks would be questioned by police, she wrote that he had comforted her.
Tony Blair Says He Gave 'Informal Advice' to Rebekah Brooks|Nico Hines, Peter Jukes|February 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST

My newly acquired gas mask sits beside me, and I am comforted.
On Shopping for Gas Masks on a Wednesday|Gabriel Sassoon|August 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But I had wounded Dora's soft little heart, and she was not to be comforted.
David Copperfield|Charles Dickens
The elder sister, relieved and comforted, soon sank into slumber herself.
Horace Chase|Constance Fenimore Woolson
Still, it is a real tail, and he has often comforted himself with that thought.
Mother West Wind 'Why' Stories|Thornton W. Burgess
I comforted the child, and explained the noises he had heard, inquiring why he was alone?
The Swiss Family Robinson|Johann David Wyss
To begin with, Effie wept copiously at parting with her beloved "auntie," as she called Beatrice, and would not be comforted.
Beatrice|H. Rider Haggard

British Dictionary definitions for comforted

comfort

/ (ˈkʌmfət) /

noun

a state of ease or well-being

relief from affliction, grief, etc

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

obsolete support

(usually plural) something that affords physical ease and relaxation

verb (tr)

to ease the pain of; soothe; cheer

to bring physical ease to

Derived forms of comfort

comforting, adjectivecomfortingly, adverbcomfortless, adjectivecomfortlessly, adverb

comfortlessness, noun

Word Origin for comfort

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

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

Idioms and Phrases with comforted

comfort

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

comfort

verb (used with object)

noun

Words related to comfort

Words nearby comfort

Origin of comfort

SYNONYMS FOR comfort

OTHER WORDS FROM comfort

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH comfort

synonym study for comfort

Examples from the Web for comforted

British Dictionary definitions for comforted

noun

verb (tr)

Derived forms of comfort

Word Origin for comfort

Idioms and Phrases with comforted