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Glite Dictionary
to condole with

to condole with

6.8
To express sympathy to someone for a death or loss
  • phrasal verb
  • /kənˈdoʊl wɪð/
  • Formal
translation icon : condoler a
  • I want to condole with you after hearing about your grandmother's passing.

Examples

  • Neighbors gathered to condole with him and offer their support.

  • Many people visited to condole with the family after their loss.

  • She wrote a letter to condole with her friend on the passing of his father.

  • I would like to condole with you on your loss.

  • She condoled with her friend after the accident.

  • It is important to condole with friends who are grieving a loss.

  • During the funeral service, many people came to condole with the family.

Synonyms

to sympathize
vsto condole with
96 3.5

To feel or show care and understanding for someone who is unhappy

is focused on expressing sorrow directly to someone after loss
to feel for
vsto condole with
83 3.0

Have sympathy for someone who is suffering

usually requires saying sorrow to someone, not only feeling it inside
to sympathize with
vsto condole with
44 3.4

To feel sorry for someone and understand their pain

involves speaking sympathy directly rather than just understanding feelings
to commiserate
vsto condole with
15 7.0

To feel or show sympathy for someone who is suffering

is used specifically to express sorrow for loss rather than general compassion

Antonyms

to ignore
∞ 1.0

Choose not to pay attention to someone or something

How Sympathetic

comfort
319 1.0
to console
40 3.9
to condole with
  • Formal
6.8

Surface Forms

condole with infinitive
condoled with past
condoled with past participle
condoling with present participle
condoles with third person singular

Morphology

condole + with

The verb 'condole' already means 'to express sorrow' and the preposition 'with' clearly marks the person who receives that expression, so the compound meaning is directly compositional. This recipient-marking pattern is common cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning (noting that the phrase is somewhat formal).

Etymology

Condole with comes from old Latin words that mean 'feel pain together'. Imagine standing beside someone and sharing their sadness: condole is the shared pain and with shows being with them, so it means 'to express sympathy'.