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consolatory

consolatory

1 7.8
Giving comfort to someone who feels sad or disappointed
  • adjective
  • /ˌkɒn.səˈleɪ.tɔːr.i/
translation icon : consolador
  • 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

comforting
vsconsolatory
134 1.4

Making someone feel less worried or upset

is aimed specifically at offering solace in times of distress or disappointment
consoling
vsconsolatory
1 3.4

Giving comfort to someone who is sad or upset

is intended to give comfort rather than simply doing so
commiserative
vsconsolatory
7.9

Showing sympathy to someone who feels sad or has trouble

focuses on providing comfort rather than only expressing sympathy

Antonyms

distressing
  • Specialized
36 4.6

Causing strong worry and emotional pain

Causing someone to feel uneasy or worried

How Consoling

comforting
134 1.4
consolatory
1 7.8
sympathetic
152 3.4

Surface Forms

consolatory positive

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.