comfortable
Americanadjective
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(of clothing, furniture, etc.) producing or affording physical comfort, support, or ease.
a comfortable chair;
comfortable shoes.
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being in a state of physical or mental comfort; contented and undisturbed; at ease.
to be comfortable in new shoes;
I don't feel comfortable in the same room with her.
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(of a person, situation, etc.) producing mental comfort or ease; easy to accommodate oneself to or associate with.
She's a comfortable person to be with.
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more than adequate or sufficient.
a comfortable salary.
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Obsolete. cheerful.
noun
adjective
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giving comfort or physical relief
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at ease
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free from affliction or pain
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(of a person or situation) relaxing
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informal having adequate income
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informal (of income) adequate to provide comfort
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of comfortable
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Anglo-French word confortable. See comfort, -able
Explanation
The adjective comfortable describes something that makes you feel relaxed, like a comfortable couch that makes you want to curl up on it and take a nap. In addition to describing things that feel good, like shoes that don't hurt your feet, comfortable can mean "feeling free from stress or worry." If you are comfortable around people, you can be yourself. It can also mean "secure" — a family that, though not rich, lives a comfortable lifestyle, meaning they have considerable savings, or you feeling comfortable speaking Spanish in Chile, meaning you trust your ability to communicate.
Vocabulary lists containing comfortable
Stay Strong: Forc and Fort
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A Wealth Of Words: Synonyms for "Rich"
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"The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet," Vocabulary from Act 5
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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.
The results showed that the treatment was safe and generally comfortable for participants.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026
It adds El-Sayed to an emerging list of Democrats who, as unabashed members of the religious left, are comfortable talking about their faith openly.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026
Players have been allowed to become too comfortable but Martin has worked hard to change the culture and behaviours.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
There’s even a controversial conservative in their midst: essayist George Schuyler, who once argued against a “Negro art,” got righteous pushback from Langston Hughes and who doesn’t seem entirely comfortable to be there.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
She was strapped into the chair right beside Danny, and Orion had to be held in a large cage, though he had a perfectly comfortable bed and bowl of food.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
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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.
