COMFORTING • DICTIONARY ONE.COM • Definition of Comforting

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/kˈəmfərtɪŋ/ Listen

verb

Comfort v. t. (past & past part. comforted; pres. part. comforting)

1.

To make strong; to invigorate; to fortify; to corroborate. (Obs.) "God's own testimony... doth not a little comfort and confirm the same."

2.

To assist or help; to aid. (Obs.) "I... can not help the noble chevalier: God comfort him in this necessity!"

3.

To impart strength and hope to; to encourage; to relieve; to console; to cheer. "Light excelleth in comforting the spirits of men." "That we may be able to comfort them that are in any affliction." "A perfect woman, nobly planned, To warn, to comfort, and command."

Synonyms: To cheer; solace; console; revive; encourage; enliven; invigorate; inspirit; gladden; recreate; exhilarate; refresh; animate; confirm; strengthen. To Comfort, Console, Solace. These verbs all suppose some antecedent state of suffering or sorrow. Console is confined to the act giving sympathetic relief to the mind under affliction or sorrow, and points to some definite source of that relief; as, the presence of his friend consoled him; he was much consoled by this intelligence. The act of consoling commonly implies the inculcation of resignation. Comfort points to relief afforded by the communication of positive pleasure, hope, and strength, as well as by the diminution of pain; as, "They brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted." Solace is from L. solacium, which means according to Dumesnil, consolation inwardly felt or applied to the case of the sufferer. Hence, the verb to solace denotes the using of things for the purpose of affording relief under sorrow or suffering; as, to solace one's self with reflections, with books, or with active employments.

adjective

comforting adj.

1.

Providing freedom from worry.

Synonyms: cheering, satisfying.

2.

Affording comfort or solace.

Synonyms: consolatory, consoling.

See images of 'Comforting'

Etymology of 'Comforting'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Comforting" Quotes from Famous Books

... those of Madame de la Valliere, legitimised, ennobled and enriched. Pierre de Beaujeu, husband of the great Anne of France, was also buried here. Anne it was who, on the death of Louis XI., governed France with all her father's astuteness, but without his cruelty, and pleasant and comforting it is to find that Duke Pierre, her husband, seconded her in every way, himself remaining in the background, acting to perfection the difficult role of Prince Consort. The sight of these once exquisite ...

— East of Paris - Sketches in the Gatinais, Bourbonnais, and Champagne • Matilda Betham-Edwards

... just arrived at this comforting conclusion, when an impatient rap was heard on the door, followed almost instantly by Mr. Damsel opening ...

— Jim Cummings • Frank Pinkerton

... the greatest suspicion to see the ladies, mistrusting Razumihin in his exhilarated condition. But his vanity was at once reassured and flattered; he saw that they were really expecting him as an oracle. He stayed just ten minutes and succeeded in completely convincing and comforting Pulcheria Alexandrovna. He spoke with marked sympathy, but with the reserve and extreme seriousness of a young doctor at an important consultation. He did not utter a word on any other subject and did not display the slightest desire to enter ...

— Crime and Punishment • Fyodor Dostoyevsky

... shall see. I don't know about Deb and Mary, but France can be all sorts of a cat when the fit takes her; and as she is certain to oppose it to the bitter end, she will never have done irritating his people and setting everybody at loggerheads. However, never mind that now." She enveloped Rose in a comforting embrace. "We'll just enjoy ourselves while we can. And until we MUST start the fuss with the girls at home, we'll keep things dark, shall we? Just you and I and he. You can tell him, when you see him tomorrow, that I ...

— Sisters • Ada Cambridge

... editors she demanded to see, and by no means sure that if she had been she could have done any work they might have given her. One day she desisted from her search and went unexpectedly to the Tredgold College. Her place was not filled; she had been simply noted as absent, and she did a comforting day of admirable dissection upon the tortoise. She was so interested, and this was such a relief from the trudging anxiety of her search for work, that she went on for a whole week as if she was still living at home. Then a third secretarial opening occurred and renewed her hopes again: a position ...

— Ann Veronica • H. G. Wells

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