Definition

1. Noun:
   • The act of consoling; giving relief in affliction: The action of providing comfort to someone who is distressed or disappointed.
   • The comfort felt when consoled: The feeling of emotional relief or solace received during times of disappointment or grief.
   • A person or thing that provides comfort: Someone or something that serves as a source of solace in a difficult situation.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • His kind words were a great consolation to her after the loss.
  • The consolation she felt from her friends' support helped her through the difficult time.
  • Finishing in third place was a small consolation after training so hard for first.

Advanced Usage

• "cold consolation": Very little or inadequate comfort.
  • Winning a small refund was cold consolation for the ruined vacation.
• As a modifier in fixed phrases:
  • He scored a consolation goal in the final minutes of the match. (A goal that provides some comfort despite losing.)

Variants and Related Words

• Console (verb): To comfort someone who is distressed.
  • She tried to console her crying child.
• Consolatory (adjective): Intended to provide consolation.
  • He offered a few consolatory remarks.

Synonyms

• Solace: Comfort or consolation in a time of distress.
• Comfort: A state of physical ease and freedom from pain or constraint; also, consolation for grief or anxiety.
• Relief: A feeling of reassurance and relaxation following release from anxiety or distress.

Related Phrases

• Consolation prize: A prize given to a competitor who does not win, intended as a token of comfort.
  • She didn't win the trophy, but she was happy to receive the consolation prize.

Noun

1. the act of consoling; giving relief in affliction
   • his presence was a consolation to her
2. the comfort you feel when consoled in times of disappointment
   • second place was no consolation to him