comfort

com·fort

C0502900 (kŭm′fərt)tr.v. com·fort·ed, com·fort·ing, com·forts 1. To soothe in time of affliction or distress.2. To ease physically; relieve: comforted the feverish patient with a cool cloth.n.1. a. A condition or feeling of pleasurable physical ease or relief from pain or stress: finally sat in comfort on the soft pillows.b. A condition of well-being, contentment, and security: an income that allowed them to live in comfort.2. a. Solace or consolation in time of sorrow or distress: soothing words of comfort.b. Help; assistance: gave comfort to the enemy.3. a. Something providing ease, convenience, or security: the comforts of modern living.b. A person or thing that brings consolation or mental ease: a friend who was a comfort to me in my grief.4. Chiefly Southern & Lower Northern US A quilted bedcover; a comforter.

[Middle English comforten, from Old French conforter, to strengthen, from Late Latin cōnfortāre : Latin com-, intensive pref.; see com- + Latin fortis, strong; see bhergh- in Indo-European roots.]

com′fort·ing·ly adv.Synonyms: comfort, console¹, solace
These verbs mean to give hope or help to in time of grief or pain: comforted the distressed child; consoling a recent widow; solaced myself with a hot cup of coffee. See Also Synonyms at amenity.

comfort

(ˈkʌmfət) n1. a state of ease or well-being2. relief from affliction, grief, etc3. a person, thing, or event that brings solace or ease4. obsolete support5. (usually plural) something that affords physical ease and relaxationvb (tr) 6. to ease the pain of; soothe; cheer7. to bring physical ease to[C13: from Old French confort, from Late Latin confortāre to strengthen very much, from Latin con- (intensive) + fortis strong] ˈcomforting adj ˈcomfortingly adv ˈcomfortless adj ˈcomfortlessly adv ˈcomfortlessness n

com•fort

(ˈkʌm fərt)

v.t. 1. to soothe, console, or reassure; bring solace or cheer to: to comfort someone after a loss. 2. to make physically comfortable. n. 3. relief in affliction; consolation; solace. 4. a feeling of relief or consolation. 5. a person or thing that gives consolation or relief. 6. a state of ease and satisfaction of bodily wants, with freedom from pain and anxiety. 7. something that promotes such a state. 8. Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S. a comforter or quilt. 9. Obs. strengthening aid; assistance. [1175–1225; Middle English comfortien < Anglo-French, Old French conforter < Late Latin confortāre to strengthen <con- + Latin fortis strong] com′fort•less, adj. syn: comfort, console, soothe imply assuaging sorrow, worry, discomfort, or pain. comfort means to lessen someone's grief or distress by giving strength and hope and restoring a cheerful outlook: to comfort a despairing friend. console, a more formal word, means to make grief or distress seem lighter by means of kindness and thoughtful attentions: to console a bereaved parent. soothe means to pacify or calm: to soothe a crying child.

Comfort

of cats.

Comfort

(Feel as) comfortable as a Cossack in Kiev —Richard Ford
(Eugene was) comfortable as a saggy armchair —Donald McCaig
Comfortable as matrimony —Nathan Bailey
Comfortable … like sleeping on a cloud —Slogan, Sealy Inc.
Comforting as a long soak in a hot tub after a short walk in a freezing rainstorm —Elyse Sommer
Comforting as the Surgeon-General’s statement on a pack of Lucky Strikes —Harry Prince
Comfort [memory of a lover] like a rosary —Sumner Locke Elliot
Cozy and dark as a dreary day —Sharon Sheehe Stark
See Also: DARKNESS
Cozy as a cup of tea —Anon
Cozy as a nest —Émile Zola
Cozy as visiting your grandmother —Mary Lee Settle
Easy as an old shoe —English proverb
New Englanders brought this from the old country as “Comfortable as an old shoe,” an expression still very much in use. There’s also a Ukranian proverb which incorporates a somewhat different form of this simile.
See Also: MARRIAGE
Feels comfortable like in a cloud —Francois Maspero
Reassured … like a sheltering wing over a motherless bird —Louisa May Alcott
See Also: KINDNESS
Restful as one’s favorite armchair —Frank Swinnerton
(Here Skigg lies) snug as a bug in a rug —Benjamin Franklin, letter to Georgiana Shipley, September, 1772
Snug as the yolk in an egg —Henrik Ibsen
Soothing as mother’s milk —Anon
[Conversation] soothing, like the quiet, washing sound of an ocean —Donald Justice
Supported [by attentive performance] as a bold swimmer by the waves —Ivan Turgenev
[Prospect of someone’s being there] sustained him like a snug life jacket —Lynne Sharon Schwartz
Sustain like a stream does a trout —Andrew Dubus
Warm and cozy and private as a nursery —John Braine
Warm and old-fashioned as a potbellied stove —Anon, capsule movie review, Newsday, January, 1986
(Walls look as) warm and sturdy as a fisherman’s hand-knitted sweater —Sheila Radley
See Also: PERMANENCE
(The whole room was as equally and agreeably) warm as a bath full of water —Anon
See Also: ROOMS
Warm as piss —American colloquialism
Warm as sunshine, light as floating clouds —Slogan, Torfeaco bedding
Warm like love —Sharon Sheehe Stark

comfort

Past participle: comforted
Gerund: comforting

Imperative
comfort
comfort

Present
I comfort
you comfort
he/she/it comforts
we comfort
you comfort
they comfort

Preterite
I comforted
you comforted
he/she/it comforted
we comforted
you comforted
they comforted

Present Continuous
I am comforting
you are comforting
he/she/it is comforting
we are comforting
you are comforting
they are comforting

Present Perfect
I have comforted
you have comforted
he/she/it has comforted
we have comforted
you have comforted
they have comforted

Past Continuous
I was comforting
you were comforting
he/she/it was comforting
we were comforting
you were comforting
they were comforting

Past Perfect
I had comforted
you had comforted
he/she/it had comforted
we had comforted
you had comforted
they had comforted

Future
I will comfort
you will comfort
he/she/it will comfort
we will comfort
you will comfort
they will comfort

Future Perfect
I will have comforted
you will have comforted
he/she/it will have comforted
we will have comforted
you will have comforted
they will have comforted

Future Continuous
I will be comforting
you will be comforting
he/she/it will be comforting
we will be comforting
you will be comforting
they will be comforting

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been comforting
you have been comforting
he/she/it has been comforting
we have been comforting
you have been comforting
they have been comforting

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been comforting
you will have been comforting
he/she/it will have been comforting
we will have been comforting
you will have been comforting
they will have been comforting

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been comforting
you had been comforting
he/she/it had been comforting
we had been comforting
you had been comforting
they had been comforting

Conditional
I would comfort
you would comfort
he/she/it would comfort
we would comfort
you would comfort
they would comfort

Past Conditional
I would have comforted
you would have comforted
he/she/it would have comforted
we would have comforted
you would have comforted
they would have comforted

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	comfort - a state of being relaxed and feeling no pain; "he is a man who enjoys his comfort"; "she longed for the comfortableness of her armchair"comfortablenesscondition, status - a state at a particular time; "a condition (or state) of disrepair"; "the current status of the arms negotiations"relief, ease - the condition of being comfortable or relieved (especially after being relieved of distress); "he enjoyed his relief from responsibility"; "getting it off his conscience gave him some ease"solacement, solace - comfort in disappointment or miserycosiness, coziness, snugness - a state of warm snug comfortconvenience - the state of being suitable or opportune; "chairs arranged for his own convenience"discomfort, uncomfortableness - the state of being tense and feeling pain
	2.	comfort - a feeling of freedom from worry or disappointmentpleasure, pleasance - a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience; "he was tingling with pleasure"consolation, solace, solacement - the comfort you feel when consoled in times of disappointment; "second place was no consolation to him"alleviation, assuagement, relief - the feeling that comes when something burdensome is removed or reduced; "as he heard the news he was suddenly flooded with relief"
	3.	comfort - the act of consoling; giving relief in affliction; "his presence was a consolation to her"consolation, solaceministration, succor, succour, relief - assistance in time of difficulty; "the contributions provided some relief for the victims"
	4.	comfort - a freedom from financial difficulty that promotes a comfortable state; "a life of luxury and ease"; "he had all the material comforts of this world"easeaffluence, richness - abundant wealth; "they studied forerunners of richness or poverty"; "the richness all around unsettled him for he had expected to find poverty"lap of luxury - in conditions of wealth and comfort; "he was raised in the lap of luxury"
	5.	comfort - satisfaction or physical well-being provided by a person or thing; "his friendship was a comfort"; "a padded chair was one of the room's few comforts"gratification, satisfaction - state of being gratified or satisfied; "dull repetitious work gives no gratification"; "to my immense gratification he arrived on time"
	6.	comfort - bedding made of two layers of cloth filled with stuffing and stitched togetherquilt, comforter, puffbed clothing, bedclothes, bedding - coverings that are used on a bedcontinental quilt, duvet, eiderdown - a soft quilt usually filled with the down of the eiderpatchwork quilt, patchwork - a quilt made by sewing patches of different materials together
	7.	comfort - assistance, such as that provided to an enemy or to a known criminal; "it gave comfort to the enemy"assist, assistance, help, aid - the activity of contributing to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose; "he gave me an assist with the housework"; "could not walk without assistance"; "rescue party went to their aid"; "offered his help in unloading"
Verb	1.	comfort - give moral or emotional strength toconsole, solace, soothecalm, still, tranquilize, tranquillise, tranquillize, calm down, quiet, quieten, lull - make calm or still; "quiet the dragons of worry and fear"allay, still, ease, relieve - lessen the intensity of or calm; "The news eased my conscience"; "still the fears"
	2.	comfort - lessen pain or discomfort; alleviate; "ease the pain in your legs"easealleviate, relieve, palliate, assuage - provide physical relief, as from pain; "This pill will relieve your headaches"

comfort

noun1. ease, luxury, wellbeing, opulence She had enough money to live in comfort for the rest of her life.2. consolation, cheer, encouragement, succour, help, support, aid, relief, ease, compensation, alleviation I tried to find some words of comfort to offer her.
consolation discomfort, irritation, hassle (informal), annoyance, aggravation, discouragementverb1. console, encourage, ease, cheer, strengthen, relieve, reassure, soothe, hearten, solace, assuage, gladden, commiserate with He put his arm round her, trying to comfort her.
console trouble, excite, bother, depress, distress, annoy, irritate, discomfort, hassle (informal), aggravate (informal), agitate, ruffle, sadden, irk, rile, give someone grief

comfort

verb1. To give hope to in time of grief or pain:console, solace, soothe.2. To make less severe or more bearable:allay, alleviate, assuage, ease, lessen, lighten, mitigate, palliate, relieve.noun1. Steady good fortune or financial security:ease, prosperity, prosperousness.Informal: easy street.Idioms: comfortable circumstances, the good life.2. A consoling in time of grief or pain:consolation, solace.3. Anything that increases physical comfort:amenity, convenience, facility (often used in plural).

Translations

安慰舒适

comfort

(ˈkamfət) noun1. a pleasant condition of being physically or mentally relaxed, happy, warm etc. They now live in comfort.舒适2. anything that provides a little luxury, or makes one feel happier, or better able to bear misfortune. He enjoyed the comforts of the hotel; Her presence was a comfort to him in his grief; words of comfort.安慰ˈcomfortable adjective1. in comfort; pleasantly relaxed. He looked very comfortable in his chair.轻松自在的2. producing a good physical feeling. a comfortable chair.舒适的3. financially secure without being rich. a comfortable standard of living.惬意的ˈcomfortably adverb舒适地ˈcomforting adjective producing a pleasant or relaxed feeling. a comforting thought.令人轻松愉快的be comfortably off to have enough money to live in comfort. 生活富裕舒适

comfort

comfort girl

slang A woman or girl forced into sexual slavery or recruited into prostitution by and in service of the Japanese Imperial Army before and during World War II. Although the Japanese government officially admitted to its role in coercing women to become comfort girls during the Second World War, there are still many who deny how many women were affected and the extent to which the government was responsible at the time.See also: comfort, girl

comfort woman

slang A woman or girl forced into sexual slavery or recruited into prostitution by and in service of the Japanese Imperial Army before and during World War II. Although the Japanese government officially admitted to its role in coercing women to become comfort women during the Second World War, there are still many who deny how many were affected and the extent to which the government was responsible at the time.See also: comfort, woman

comfort zone

1. A place, activity, situation, or psychological state in which a person feels free from anxiety and is within their of ability, experience, security, and/or control. Though it is often outside your comfort zone, traveling to foreign countries gives you a much greater perspective on how other people in the world live. The new job is a little out of my comfort zone, but it will give me a great opportunity to see what I'm truly capable of.2. The temperature range wherein the human body feels naturally comfortable, being neither too hot nor too cold. Many retired Americans, being more sensitive to the cold, settle in Florida, where the balmy weather better suits their comfort zones.See also: comfort, zone

take comfort in (something)

To be soothed or calmed by something. I know this trial has been tremendously hard on you, but take comfort in the fact that the man responsible is now behind bars forever. When things get tough, I take comfort in the company of my closest friends.See also: comfort, take

be cold comfort

To fail as an intended source of solace. The news that I got a meager raise is cold comfort after not getting that big promotion. The fact that it's "stage one" is cold comfort to me—it's still cancer!See also: cold, comfort

too close for comfort

1. So close as to cause worry because of being dangerous or unwelcome in some way. The way these planes fly so low over the house is just too close for comfort. My neighbors and I all feel that the new shopping center they're planning near our neighborhood is a little too close for comfort.2. Too narrow a margin for error or deviation. Having only $20 in your bank account is far too close for comfort, if you ask me.See also: close, comfort

cold comfort

Something that has failed as an intended source of solace. The news that I got a meager raise is cold comfort after not getting that big promotion. The fact that it's "stage one" is cold comfort to me—it's still cancer!See also: cold, comfort

creature comforts

Things that one needs in order to feel happy and comfortable. I have a hard time abandoning my creature comforts to go hiking and camping. At a minimum, I need running water!See also: comfort, creature

there, there

A phrase used to soothe one who is upset. There, there, sweetie. Everything is going to be OK.See also: there

too (something) for comfort

Having more of some quality or trait than one would like or is comfortable with. Used especially in the phrase "too close for comfort." The way these planes fly so low over the house is just too close for comfort. Though the company seems to be doing well, some analysts are actually worried that its stocks are climbing too fast for comfort and could indicate a sudden sharp decrease.See also: comfort

comfort station

A public bathroom. I sure hope there's a comfort station at this next rest stop!See also: comfort, station

cold comfort

no comfort or consolation at all. She knows there are others worse off than her, but that's cold comfort. It was cold comfort to the student that others had failed as he had done.See also: cold, comfort

creature comforts

things that make people comfortable. The hotel room was a bit small, but all the creature comforts were there.See also: comfort, creature

There, there.

and There, now.an expression used to comfort someone. There, there. You'll feel better after you take a nap. There, now. Everything will be all right.See also: there

too close for comfort

Cliché [for a misfortune or a threat] to be dangerously close. That car nearly hit me! That was too close for comfort. When I was in the hospital, I nearly died from pneumonia. Believe me, that was too close for comfort.See also: close, comfort

cold comfort

Slight or no consolation. For example, He can't lend us his canoe but will tell us where to rent one-that's cold comfort. The adjective cold was being applied to comfort in this sense by the early 1300s, and Shakespeare used the idiom numerous times. See also: cold, comfort

creature comfort

Something that contributes to physical comfort, such as food, clothing, or housing. For example, Dean always stayed in the best hotels; he valued his creature comforts. This idiom was first recorded in 1659. See also: comfort, creature

too close for comfort

Also, too close to home. Dangerously nearby or accurate, as in That last shot was too close for comfort, or Their attacks on the speaker hit too close to home, and he left in a huff. See also: close, comfort

cold comfort

COMMON If a fact or statement is cold comfort to someone in a difficult situation, it does not make them feel less worried or sad. `Three years in higher education is a good investment for the future,' he says. But that is cold comfort to graduates who have worked so hard to get a degree, and now find themselves unemployed.See also: cold, comfort

too close/high, etc. for comfort

COMMON If something is too close/high, etc. for comfort, it is closer/higher, etc. than you would like it to be or than is safe. The bombs fell in the sea, many too close for comfort. Levels of crime were still too high for comfort.See also: close, comfort

creature comforts

Creature comforts are all the modern sleeping, eating, and washing facilities that make life easy and pleasant. Each room has its own patio or balcony and provides guests with all modern creature comforts. I'm not a camper — I like my creature comforts too much. Note: An old meaning of `creatures' is material comforts, or things that make you feel comfortable. See also: comfort, creature

too close for comfort

dangerously or uncomfortably near.See also: close, comfort

cold comfort

poor or inadequate consolation. This expression, together with the previous idiom, reflects a traditional view that charity is often given in a perfunctory or uncaring way. The words cold (as the opposite of ‘encouraging’) and comfort have been associated since the early 14th century, but perhaps the phrase is most memorably linked for modern readers with the title of Stella Gibbons 's 1933 parody of sentimental novels of rural life, Cold Comfort Farm.See also: cold, comfort

too — for comfort

causing physical or mental unease by an excess of the specified quality. 1994 Janice Galloway Foreign Parts They were all too at peace with themselves, too untroubled for comfort. See also: comfort

too close for ˈcomfort

so near that you become afraid or anxious: The exams are getting a bit too close for comfort.See also: close, comfort

ˌcold ˈcomfort

a thing that is intended to make you feel better but which does not: When you’ve just had your car stolen, it’s cold comfort to be told it happens to somebody every day.See also: cold, comfort

comfort station

1. n. a restroom; toilet facilities available to the public. (Euphemistic.) We need to stop and find a comfort station in the next town. 2. n. an establishment that sells liquor. Let’s get some belch at a comfort station along here somewhere. See also: comfort, station

close call/shave, a

A narrow escape, a near miss. Both phrases are originally American. The first dates from the 1880s and is thought to come from sports, where a close call was a decision by an umpire or referee that could have gone either way. A close shave is from the early nineteenth century and reflects the narrow margin between smoothly shaved skin and a nasty cut from the razor. Both were transferred to mean any narrow escape from danger. Incidentally, a close shave was in much earlier days equated with miserliness. Erasmus’s 1523 collection of adages has it, “He shaves right to the quick,” meaning he makes the barber give him a very close shave so that he will not need another for some time. Two synonymous modern clichés are too close for comfort and too close to home.See also: call, close

cold comfort

That’s little or no consolation. “Colde watz his cumfort,” reads a poem of unknown authorship written about 1325. The alliterative phrase appealed to Shakespeare, who used it a number of times (in King John, The Tempest, The Taming of the Shrew). It acquired cliché status by about 1800. Stella Gibbons used it in the title of her humorous book Cold Comfort Farm (1932).See also: cold, comfort

creature comforts

Life’s material amenities. The term dates from the seventeenth century; it appears in Thomas Brooks’s Collected Works (1670), and again in Matthew Henry’s 1710 Commentaries on the Psalms (“They have . . . the sweetest relish of their creature comforts”).See also: comfort, creature

cold comfort

Offering limited sympathy or encouragement. People who lost their jobs during the recession would likely take cold comfort from economic reports that an upturn was likely to occur in the future. Shakespeare used the phrase in King John: “I do not ask you much, I beg cold comfort; and you are so strait / And so ingrateful, you deny me that.”See also: cold, comfort

comfort

com·fort

comfort

com•fort

Comfort

Comfort

comfort

comfort

comfort

comfort

comfort

comfort girl

comfort woman

comfort zone

take comfort in (something)

be cold comfort

too close for comfort

cold comfort

creature comforts

there, there

too (something) for comfort

comfort station

cold comfort

creature comforts

There, there.

too close for comfort

cold comfort

creature comfort

too close for comfort

cold comfort

too close/high, etc. for comfort

creature comforts

too close for comfort

cold comfort

too — for comfort

too close for ˈcomfort

ˌcold ˈcomfort

comfort station

close call/shave, a

cold comfort

creature comforts

cold comfort

Comfort

Comfort

comfort

Synonyms for comfort

noun ease

Synonyms

noun consolation

Synonyms

Antonyms

verb console

Synonyms

Antonyms

Synonyms for comfort

verb to give hope to in time of grief or pain

Synonyms

verb to make less severe or more bearable

Synonyms

noun steady good fortune or financial security

Synonyms

noun a consoling in time of grief or pain

Synonyms

noun anything that increases physical comfort

Synonyms

Synonyms for comfort

noun a state of being relaxed and feeling no pain

Synonyms

Related Words

Antonyms

noun a feeling of freedom from worry or disappointment

Related Words

noun the act of consoling

Synonyms

Related Words

noun a freedom from financial difficulty that promotes a comfortable state

Synonyms

Related Words

noun satisfaction or physical well-being provided by a person or thing

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