comforting

[kuhm-fer-ting]

adjective

1. affording comfort or solace.

Other Word Forms

• comfortingly adverb
• uncomforting adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of comforting¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English; comfort + -ing ²

Example Sentences

It’s mostly been in chronological order, and sometimes just in the background while she’s working on something else but craving the show’s comforting familiarity.

From Los Angeles Times

Goodall also witnessed chimpanzees embracing and comforting each other after the death of a loved one.

From Salon

Great Big Game Show – My wife and I love game shows for their low-stakes, comforting fun, so discovering the Great Big Game Show was a no-brainer.

From Salon

They mean, “I put on episodes I’ve seen before and it’s comforting in a profoundly, sleepy way.”

From Los Angeles Times

And in Paul Thomas Anderson’s sprawling contemporary epic “One Battle After Another,” it’s startling just how comforting a cinematic hand on the shoulder can be.

From Salon

Related Words

• encouraging www.thesaurus.com
• reassuring 
• refreshing 
• soothing