consolation

[ kon-suh-ley-shuhn ]

noun

1. the act of consoling; console; comfort; solace.

   Synonyms: cheer, support, help, succor, relief

2. the state of being consoled. console.
3. someone or something that consoles: console:

   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.

consolation

/ -trɪ; kənˈsɒlətərɪ; 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

Derived Forms

• consolatory, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of consolation¹

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; solace

Example Sentences

At $50 a pop, the virtual New York and Boston race registration fees are at best a small financial consolation prize for the two organizers, which normally rake in tens of millions of dollars from their marquee marathons.

From Fortune

Many of the women found consolation in believing that their marital home, or “sasural” was written in their fate.

From No Straight News

While Microsoft may have lost out on TikTok, it’s certainly not skimping on the consolation prize.

From Fortune

It is difficult to face this moment in our forced separation without even the consolation of being able to embrace or to wipe each other’s tears.

From MIT Technology Review

Some of those teams were undoubtedly expecting to still be playing, but they all likely would have been happy with the highly touted winger as consolation.

From FiveThirtyEight

Yet according to Hamilton, “it was quickly apparent that other than pecuniary consolation would be acceptable.”

From The Daily Beast

Dee Dee candles, rosaries, shirts and prints are offered for sale near the gallery's door as a kind of consolation.

From The Daily Beast

There was little consolation to be had from this revelation except a bizarre sense of personal privilege.

From The Daily Beast

But the civilians, even those who are proud of the largely symbolic resistance, can take little consolation for the future.

From The Daily Beast

But that probably comes as little consolation to the 99 percent.

From The Daily Beast

The poor must look to the brightness of a future world for the consolation that they were denied in this.

From Project Gutenberg

And it is small consolation to me to note that most people's minds seem to be no better done than mine.

From Project Gutenberg

Augustus Theodore swings on a chair before the fire, which he keeps at work for his own especial consolation.

From Project Gutenberg

She found no consolation in the fact that she had been encouraged to do as she had done by those who claimed to love her.

From Project Gutenberg

From there on Piegan set a pace that taxed our horses' mettle—that was one consolation—we were well mounted.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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