Adjacent Words

Comfort definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

COMFORT, v.t.
1. To strengthen; to invigorate; to cheer or enliven.
Light excelleth in comforting the spirits of men.
Comfort ye your hearts. Genesis 18.
2. To strengthen the mind when depressed or enfeebled; to console; to give new vigor to the spirits; to cheer, or relieve from depression, or trouble.
His friends came to mourn with him and to comfort him. Job 2.
3. In law, to relieve, assist or encourage, as the accessory to a crime after the fact.
COMFORT, n.
1. Relief from pain; ease; rest or moderate pleasure after pain, cold or distress or uneasiness of body. The word signifies properly new strength, or animation; and relief from pain is often the effect of strength. In a popular sense, the word signifies rather negatively the absence of pain and the consequent quiet, than positive animation.
2. Relief from distress of mind; the ease and quiet which is experienced when pain, trouble, agitation or affliction ceases. It implies also some degree of positive animation of the spirits; or some pleasurable sensations derived from hope, and agreeable prospects; consolation.
Let me alone, that I may take comfort a little. Job 10.
Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. Matthew 9.
3. Support; consolation under calamity, distress or danger.
Let thy merciful kindness be for my comfort. Psalms 119.
4. That which gives strength or support in distress, difficulty, danger, or infirmity.
Pious children are the comfort of their aged parents.
5. In law, support; assistance; countenance; encouragement; as, an accessory affords aid or comfort to a felon.
6. That which gives security from want and furnishes moderate enjoyment; as the comforts of life.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: 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" [syn: comfort, comfortableness] [ant: discomfort, uncomfortableness]
2: a feeling of freedom from worry or disappointment
3: the act of consoling; giving relief in affliction; "his presence was a consolation to her" [syn: consolation, comfort, solace]
4: 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" [syn: ease, comfort]
5: 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"
6: bedding made of two layers of cloth filled with stuffing and stitched together [syn: quilt, comforter, comfort, puff]
7: assistance, such as that provided to an enemy or to a known criminal; "it gave comfort to the enemy" v
1: give moral or emotional strength to [syn: comfort, soothe, console, solace]
2: lessen pain or discomfort; alleviate; "ease the pain in your legs" [syn: comfort, ease]

Merriam Webster's

I. transitive verb Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French cunforter, comforter, from Late Latin confortare to strengthen greatly, from Latin com- + fortis strong Date: 13th century 1. to give strength and hope to ; cheer 2. to ease the grief or trouble of ; console • comfortingly adverb II. noun Date: 13th century 1. strengthening aid: a. assistance, support <accused of giving aid and comfort to the enemy> b. consolation in time of trouble or worry ; solace 2. a. a feeling of relief or encouragement b. contented well-being <a life of ease and comfort> 3. a satisfying or enjoyable experience 4. one that gives or brings comfort <all the comforts of home> • comfortless adjective

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 consolation; relief in affliction. 2 a a state of physical well-being; being comfortable (live in comfort). b (usu. in pl.) things that make life easy or pleasant (has all the comforts). 3 a cause of satisfaction (a comfort to me that you are here). 4 a person who consoles or helps one (he's a comfort to her in her old age). 5 US a warm quilt. --v.tr. 1 soothe in grief; console. 2 make comfortable (comforted by the warmth of the fire). Phrases and idioms: comfort station US euphem. a public lavatory. Etymology: ME f. OF confort(er) f. LL confortare strengthen (as COM-, L fortis strong)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Comfort Com"fort, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Comforted; p. pr. & vb. n. Comforting.] [F. conforter, fr. L. confortare to strengthen much; con- + fortis strong. See Fort.] 1. To make strong; to invigorate; to fortify; to corroborate. [Obs.] --Wyclif. God's own testimony . . . doth not a little comfort and confirm the same. --Hooker. 2. To assist or help; to aid. [Obs.] I . . . can not help the noble chevalier: God comfort him in this necessity! --Shak. 3. To impart strength and hope to; to encourage; to relieve; to console; to cheer. Light excelleth in comforting the spirits of men. --Bacon. That we may be able to comfort them that are in any affliction. --2 Cor. i. 4 (Rev. Ver.). A perfect woman, nobly planned, To warn, to comfort, and command. --Wordsworth. Syn: To cheer; solace; console; revive; encourage; enliven; invigorate; inspirit; gladden; recreate; exhilarate; refresh; animate; confirm; strengthen. Usage: To Comfort, Console, Solace. These verbs all suppose some antecedent state of suffering or sorrow. Console is confined to the act giving sympathetic relief to the mind under affliction or sorrow, and points to some definite source of that relief; as, the presence of his friend consoled him; he was much consoled by this intelligence. The act of consoling commonly implies the inculcation of resignation. Comfort points to relief afforded by the communication of positive pleasure, hope, and strength, as well as by the diminution of pain; as, ``They brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted.'' --Acts xx. 12. Solace is from L. solacium, which means according to Dumesnil, consolation inwardly felt or applied to the case of the sufferer. Hence, the verb to solace denotes the using of things for the purpose of affording relief under sorrow or suffering; as, to solace one's self with reflections, with books, or with active employments.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Comfort Com"fort, n. [OF. confort, fr. conforter.] 1. Assistance; relief; support. [Obs. except in the phrase ``aid and comfort.'' See 5 below.] --Shak. 2. Encouragement; solace; consolation in trouble; also, that which affords consolation. In comfort of her mother's fears. --Shak. Cheer thy spirit with this comfort. --Shak. Speaking words of endearment where words of comfort availed not. --Longfellow. 3. A state of quiet enjoyment; freedom from pain, want, or anxiety; also, whatever contributes to such a condition. I had much joy and comfort in thy love. --Phil. 7 (Rev. Ver.). He had the means of living in comfort. --Macaulay. 4. A wadded bedquilt; a comfortable. [U. S.] 5. (Law) Unlawful support, countenance, or encouragement; as, to give aid and comfort to the enemy. Syn: Comfort, Consolation. Usage: Comfort has two meanings: 1. Strength and relief received under affliction; 2. Positive enjoyment, of a quiet, permanent nature, together with the sources thereof; as, the comfort of love; surrounded with comforts; but it is with the former only that the word consolation is brought into comparison. As thus compared, consolation points to some specific source of relief for the afflicted mind; as, the consolations of religion. Comfort supposes the relief to be afforded by imparting positive enjoyment, as well as a diminution of pain. ``Consolation, or comfort, signifies some alleviation to that pain to which it is not in our power to afford the proper and adequate remedy; they imply rather an augmentation of the power of bearing, than a diminution of the burden.'' --Johnson.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(comforts, comforting, comforted) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. If you are doing something in comfort, you are physically relaxed and contented, and are not feeling any pain or other unpleasant sensations. This will enable the audience to sit in comfort while watching the shows... The shoe has padding around the collar, heel and tongue for added comfort. ? discomfort N-UNCOUNT: oft in/for N 2. Comfort is a style of life in which you have enough money to have everything you need. Surely there is some way of ordering our busy lives so that we can live in comfort and find spiritual harmony too. N-UNCOUNT: oft in N 3. Comfort is what you feel when worries or unhappiness stop. He welcomed the truce, but pointed out it was of little comfort to families spending Christmas without a loved one... He will be able to take some comfort from inflation figures due on Friday... He found comfort in Eva's blind faith in him. see also cold comfort 4. If you refer to a person, thing, or idea as a comfort, you mean that it helps you to stop worrying or makes you feel less unhappy. It's a comfort talking to you... Being able to afford a drink would be a comfort in these tough times. N-COUNT: usu sing, oft N to n, it v-link N to-inf/-ing 5. If you comfort someone, you make them feel less worried, unhappy, or upset, for example by saying kind things to them. Ned put his arm around her, trying to comfort her. = console VERB: V n 6. Comforts are things which make your life easier and more pleasant, such as electrical devices you have in your home. She enjoys the material comforts married life has brought her... Electricity provides us with warmth and light and all our modern home comforts... N-COUNT: usu pl see also creature comforts 7. If you say that something is, for example, too close for comfort, you mean you are worried because it is closer than you would like it to be. The bombs fell in the sea, many too close for comfort... Although crimes against visitors were falling, the levels of crime were still too high for comfort. PHRASE: PHR after v, v-link PHR

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

kum'-fert (nacham; parakaleo): The New Testament word is variously translated, as "comfort," "exhort," "beseech," the exact translation to be determined by the context. Etymologically, it is "to call alongside of," i.e. to summon for assistance. To comfort is to cheer and encourage. It has a positive force wanting in its synonym "console," as it indicates the dispelling of grief by the impartation of strength. the Revised Version (British and American) has correctly changed the translation of paramutheomai from the King James Version "comfort," to "consolation." So in the Old Testament, "Comfort ye my people" (Isa 40:1) is much stronger than "console," which affords only the power of calm endurance of affliction, while the brightest hopes of the future and the highest incentives to present activity are the gifts of the Divine grace that is here bestowed.

H. E. Jacobs

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. Solace, console, cheer, gladden, encourage, inspirit, enliven, animate, revive, refresh, invigorate, relieve, strengthen. II. n. 1. Support, assistance, aid, help, succor, countenance. 2. Solace, consolation, encouragement, relief. 3. Ease, enjoyment, satisfaction, peace.

Moby Thesaurus

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