May we count your visit with Google Analytics? It uses cookies and sends visit data to Google. You can change this any time under Cookie choices. Privacy

 Browse the A to Z list

Comfortable

adj. calm, joyful everyday

What it means

Meaning 1

Physically at ease, with enough support, space, or relief from strain.

Reach for it when describing bodily ease or an environment that provides it

The adjustable stool kept Ren comfortable throughout the long rehearsal.

Meaning 2

Relaxed and free from awkwardness in a situation or relationship.

Reach for it when describing social or emotional ease rather than furniture or temperature

By the third session, the apprentice felt comfortable asking basic questions.

Words to choose between 7

By register, from playful at the top to literary at the bottom, and by meaning across. Tap a word to see when it fits.
Meaning 1Meaning 2
everyday
warm
professional
literary

Meaning 1: Physically at ease, with enough support, space, or relief from strain.

  • everyday

    restful

    Fits when the setting helps the body recover

    Careful Restful describes the effect, not whether a seat or garment fits well.

  • warm

    cozy

    Fits when warmth, enclosure, and homelike pleasure are central

    Careful Cozy is wrong for spacious ergonomic comfort or a cool clinical room.

  • professional

    supportive

    Fits when physical support or accommodation deserves emphasis

    Careful Supportive may concern encouragement and need not feel pleasant.

Meaning 2: Relaxed and free from awkwardness in a situation or relationship.

  • everyday

    at ease

    Fits when absence of bodily or social tension is what matters

    Careful This phrase does not name the material conditions that create comfort.

  • warm

    relaxed

    Fits when tension has dropped in mood or posture

    Careful A relaxed person may still be physically uncomfortable.

  • professional

    secure

    Fits when safety and confidence allow openness

    Careful Security can exist without familiarity or ease.

  • literary

    unselfconscious

    Fits when the person acts naturally without monitoring every impression

    Careful It is too specific when comfort comes from trust rather than freedom from embarrassment.

Opposites 4

  • painful
  • cramped
  • uneasy
  • awkward

Common phrases 3

  • comfortable chair

    A comfortable chair made the reading corner usable for longer visits.

  • feel comfortable

    Students should feel comfortable requesting a second explanation.

  • comfortable silence

    A comfortable silence settled over the friends as they worked.

Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Dvortygirl, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated