consolation

[kon-suh-ley-shuhn]

noun

the act of consoling; comfort; solace.

the state of being consoled.

someone or something that consoles: His faith was a consolation during his troubles. Her daughters are a consolation to her.

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

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

Synonyms for consolation

1. relief, succor, help, support, cheer.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for consolations

pity, solace, compassion, comfort, encouragement, sympathy, succor, assuagement, help, easement, alleviation, ease, cheer, support, lenity

Examples from the Web for consolations

Contemporary Examples of consolations

That everything is forgiven, and they can stay as they are and enjoy the consolations of forgiveness.
Why Republicans Don't Get the Benefit of the Doubt on Race
Jamelle Bouie
March 17, 2014
West reserves the greatest disdain, however, for the consolations of religion.
American Dreams, 1933: Miss Lonelyhearts by Nathanael West
Nathaniel Rich
April 29, 2013

Historical Examples of consolations

Her consolations were not less sweet—her promises not less sure.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. 327
Various
I'm afraid I returned from church that day without the consolations of religion.
The Bacillus of Beauty
Harriet Stark
But he had two consolations at the close of the performance.
Little Dorrit
Charles Dickens
I felt that to obtrude my consolations on her then would only serve to aggravate her sufferings.
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
Anne Bronte
In the deepest agony I have never refused the consolations of Nature or of Truth.
Wilfrid Cumbermede
George MacDonald

British Dictionary definitions for consolations

consolation

noun

the act of consoling or state of being consoled; solace

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

Derived Formsconsolatory (kənˈsɒlətərɪ, -trɪ), adjective

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

Word Origin and History for consolations

c.1400, "act of consolation;" see consolation.

consolation

late 14c., "act of consoling," from Old French consolacion (11c., Modern French consolation) "solace, comfort; delight, pleasure," from Latin consolationem (nominative consolatio-) "consoling, comforting," noun of action from consolat-, past participle stem of consolari (see console (v.)). Consolation prize is recorded from 1886.