consolation

American  

[kon-suh-lay-shuhn] / ˌkɒn səˈleɪ ʃən /

noun

• consolations
  plural

1. 

   the act of consoling; comfort; solace.

   Synonyms:

   cheer, support, help, succor, relief

2. the state of being consoled.

3. someone or something that consoles.

   His faith was a consolation during his troubles. Her daughters are a consolation to her.

4. Sports. a game, match, or race for tournament entrants eliminated before the final round, as a basketball game between the losing semifinalists.

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consolation British  

/ ˌkɒnsəˈleɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of consoling or state of being consoled; solace

2. a person or thing that is a source of comfort in a time of suffering, grief, disappointment, etc

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• consolatory
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• consolations
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of consolation

1325–75; Middle English consolacioun (< Anglo-French ) < Latin consōlātiōn- (stem of consōlātiō ), equivalent to consōlāt ( us ), past participle of consōlārī ( con- con- + sōlā-, stem of sōlārī to comfort, + -tus past participle suffix) + -iōn- -ion; see solace

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Explanation

Consolation is something that makes someone feel better after they're disappointed or sad. This is a word for things that try to console someone. A consolation prize isn't as good as first prize, but it's better than nothing. A hug is little consolation when you've had your heart broken. You give someone consolation when try to cheer them up. Consolation can be the act of making someone feel better, like trying to make them laugh, but it can also be something that makes someone happy, like a plate of warm cookies.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

consolation consolations

“I’m more in the business of winning hockey games. I don’t think there’s any consolation in a 2-1 loss,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

One possible consolation for people who didn’t get superlow mortgage rates: the opportunity to invest in higher-yielding mortgage bonds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

While energy prices drove most of the monthly surge, that’s no consolation to consumers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

Pascal Gross then headed in a 96th-minute consolation goal after a dangerous long throw-in was not dealt with.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026

At least I’m tall, he thought, but it wasn’t much of a consolation.

From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro

“Before You Were Anne” is a poignant story with consolations small and transcendent.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

Nothing like the durable consolations of late-life romance, but headier, more exciting and, in the worst cases, far more damaging.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026

But what these consolations must entail has often been a fraught debate.

From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2025

Let's give the biblical authors credit for taking the sublimity of our loss straight up instead of chasing false consolations.

From Salon ● Mar. 31, 2024

“Too awful,” she kept repeating, and all Bernard’s consolations were in vain.

From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley

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Related Words

• comfort
• compassion
• encouragement
• pity
• solace
• succor
• sympathy

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