consoling

1 3.4

Giving comfort to someone who is sad or upset

adjective
/kənˈsoʊlɪŋ/

: consolador

The kind words from her friend were so consoling during this difficult time.
very consoling

And, and you guys were just really nice and really consoling and I really appreciate it.

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Examples

He offered a consoling hug to his sister after hearing the sad news.
And, and you guys were just really nice and really consoling and I really appreciate it.

Sarah Rae Vargas
That's very consoling.

Action Jackson (1988)
She found the consoling presence of her family helped her cope with her grief.

Synonyms

supportive

vsconsoling

348 2.8

Willing to give help or comfort when someone needs it

is specifically about giving comfort and solace to the sad

comforting

vsconsoling

134 1.4

Making someone feel less worried or upset

targets easing deep sadness or distress rather than general worry

consolatory

vsconsoling

1 7.8

Giving comfort to someone who feels sad or disappointed

focuses on actually giving solace to someone who is upset

commiserative

vsconsoling

7.9

Showing sympathy to someone who feels sad or has trouble

offers active comfort and consolation beyond merely feeling sympathy

Antonyms

upsetting

81 2.5

Making someone feel sad or worried

distressing

Specialized

36 4.6

Causing strong worry and emotional pain

How Comforting

consoling

1 3.4

comforting

134 1.4

reassuring

78 3.1

sympathetic

152 3.4

unsympathetic

7 4.9

Surface Forms

consoling positive

Morphology

consoling = console (transparent) = console + ing

The adjective is the present participle of the verb 'console' formed with the productive suffix '-ing', so its meaning is directly derived from 'console'.

Etymology

Consoling comes from the Latin word consolari, made of con- 'with' and solari 'to soothe'. A helpful way to remember it is the English word solace, which shares the same root, so consoling means being 'with' someone to soothe and give comfort when they are sad.