condolence
Americannoun
-
condolences
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of condolence
Explanation
A condolence is an expression of sympathy and sorrow to someone who has suffered a loss, like the letter of condolence you send to a faraway friend who has lost a loved one. The noun condolence comes from the Late Latin word condole, meaning “to suffer together.” When you offer your condolences to someone who has suffered a loss, you are saying that you share their sadness, that you are there to support and help them. Don't confuse condolence with consolation, which is an attempt to make the person feel better.
Vocabulary lists containing condolence
Esperanza Rising
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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:
Flags at Cleveland Police headquarters are flying at half-mast and Redcar and Cleveland Council has opened a book of condolence at its offices on Ridley Street in Redcar.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
At the scene of the attack itself people left hand-written messages of condolence and support.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
It has been two years since Ysa’s death, and Ferrante continues to get condolence messages in response to her request.
From Slate ● Jul. 19, 2026
A small but poignant item: the condolence card sent to Carrie by Samantha Jones, her estranged friend played by Kim Cattrall, who made a brief but impactful appearance in the reboot.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 2026
The card inside is not a note of sympathy nor a condolence for her loss.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
Although friends and family reached out to offer condolences, their lives quickly moved on.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 15, 2026
Both the interior ministry and police expressed their deepest condolences and heartfelt sympathy to the families of the deceased, and wished a speedy recovery to those injured.
From BBC ● Nov. 12, 2026
Storm broke the news Thursday that Hicks died suddenly a day earlier at 64, triggering an outpouring of grief, heartfelt condolences and tributes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 12, 2026
The government wants Wednesday to be a day of national mourning, while President Iliana Iotova, rushing back from abroad, also expressed her condolences.
From Barron's ● Nov. 10, 2026
You offered tassali, condolences, for the death of a parent, congratulated the birth of children, and shook your head mournfully when the conversation turned to Afghanistan and the Roussis—which it inevitably did.
From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
