Console
What it means
To give comfort to someone experiencing sadness or disappointment.
Reach for it when describing supportive presence that responds to another person's distress
Her teammates stayed behind to console the injured runner.
Words to choose between 6
| everyday | |
|---|---|
| warm |
|
| professional | |
| formal | |
| literary |
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everyday
Fits when care helps ease distress
Careful Comfort can be physical or practical and need not respond to grief.
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warm
Fits when agitation or pain is gently reduced
Careful Soothing can calm the surface without acknowledging the reason for sadness.
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professional
Fits when fear is reduced through confidence or information
Careful Reassurance may offer certainty that the speaker cannot honestly provide.
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professional
Fits when practical or emotional help continues over time
Careful Support is broader and can advance a goal unrelated to distress.
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formal
commiserate
Fits when shared recognition of disappointment is central
Careful Commiserating may dwell on the loss without bringing comfort.
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literary
Fits when elevated language suits quiet comfort in grief
Careful As a verb, solace is uncommon and can make a personal moment sound distant.
Opposites 3
- distress
- taunt
- abandon
Common phrases 3
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try to console
He did not try to console her until he had listened to the full story.
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console a friend
She brought dinner to console a friend after the rejection.
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words to console
No perfect words to console the family were available, so they offered presence.
Usage notes
Keep in mind
Consoling should not impose optimism, explanations, touch, or conversation that the distressed person does not want.
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