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.
Mexico was coming off a comfortable 2-0 victory over South Africa, while the South Koreans had defeated the Czech Republic 2-1, marking their first World Cup opening-match win since 2010.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 19, 2026
Burnham, the 56-year-old mayor of Manchester, was elected by a comfortable margin in voting Thursday to represent the district of Makerfield in northern England, defeating a candidate from the anti-immigration party Reform UK.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 19, 2026
As long as the majority stays comfortable with the suffering of the many, our shared curse will remain unbroken.
From Salon • Jun. 18, 2026
Related: ‘We are comfortable financially’: My husband is in his 60s and has $500,000 life insurance.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 18, 2026
I made him as comfortable as I could on the couch with his pillow and blanket, and gave him the last of the Gravol I found in the medicine cabinet.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Definitions 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.
