consolatory
1
7.8
- adjective
- /ˌkɒn.səˈleɪ.tɔːr.i/
- The teacher provided consolatory remarks to the students who didn’t win the competition, encouraging them to try again next year.
Examples
-
U.S. Navy Rigid Airships 1919-1935 take on a consolatory function: they exist to reconcile desire with the fact of tragedy.
Academic text (1994) -
The Heart-to-Heart Art Troupe from CNN went to the disaster-hit area and gave consolatory performances.
Blog text (31) -
"Here, movingly, is the not quite convincing consolatory voice of the Origin.
Academic text (1995) -
We had even been denied the consolatory dramas of heavy rain or a snowstorm.
Fiction book (2001) -
In its place, there have been stoicism and resignation, the great anodynes of humanity, and visions of an afterlife, its great consolatory fantasy.
Academic text (1992) -
After the loss of her pet, her friend offered consolatory words to help her cope with the sadness.
-
He sent a consolatory message after hearing about her difficult breakup, hoping to make her feel a little better.
Synonyms
126
1.4
Making someone feel less worried or upset
5
3.4
Giving comfort to someone who is sad or upset
1
7.9
Showing sympathy to someone who feels sad or has trouble
Antonyms
How Consoling
Surface Forms
Morphology
consolatory = console (semi-transparent) = consol + atory
The word is clearly related to consolation and comfort, but it uses a Latinate stem and a learned adjective-forming suffix, so the connection is not fully transparent to an average learner.
Etymology
Consolatory comes from the Latin parts con- 'together' and solari 'to comfort', and it is the same root as consolation and console. So a consolatory gift or word is one meant to bring comfort and soothe someone who is sad.