comfort

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

n. luxury; ease, coziness; enjoyment, satisfaction; solace, consolation; cheer, air. See pleasure, relief, content.

II

(Roget's IV) n.

1. [A state of ease]

Syn. contentment, ease, well-being, rest, quiet, relaxation, repose, alleviation, relief, assuagement, poise, prosperity, opulence, cheer, snugness, abundance, sufficiency, gratification, luxury, warmth, plenty, creature comforts, amenities, satisfaction, satisfaction of bodily wants, coziness, pleasure, happiness, restfulness, peacefulness, cheerfulness, complacency, bed of roses*; see also convenience 2 , ease 1 , enjoyment 2 , satisfaction 2 .

Ant. discomfort, uneasiness, distress.

2. [Consolation]

Syn. solace, compassion, sympathy; see pity 1 , sympathy 2 .

3. [Anything that brings comfort]

Syn. help, support, succor; see aid 1 , encouragement 2 .

v.

Syn. console, soothe, solace, condole, commiserate, grieve with, compassionate, sympathize, share with, calm, pacify, compose, tranquilize, reassure, hearten, cheer, gladden, inspirit, revive, reanimate, bolster up, put at ease, make comfortable, relieve, alleviate, assuage, allay, mitigate, quiet one's fears, help one in need, lighten one's burden, grant respite, disburden, succor, sustain, support, uphold, encourage, invigorate, enhearten, give one a lift, renew, refresh, revitalize, revivify, strengthen, salve, warm, ameliorate, lighten, soften, abate, remedy, release, restore, pat on the back, hold one's hand, sit by, put in a good humor; see also encourage 2 , pity 1 , sympathize .

Ant. make uneasy, distress, afflict, discourage.

Syn.- comfort suggests the lessening of misery or grief by cheering, calming, or inspiring with hope; console suggests less positive relief but implies a moderation of the sense of loss or disappointment [ to console someone on the death of a parent ] ; solace suggests the relieving of melancholy, boredom, or loneliness [ I solaced myself with music ] ; soothe implies the calming or allaying of pain, distress, or agitation [ to soothe a fretful child ]

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus)

I

n.

1. well-being ease, peace, tranquility, happiness, coziness, creature comforts, satisfaction, luxury, contentment. That stealthy thing that enters the house as a guest, and then becomes a host, and then a master.''—Kahlil Gibran.

2. solace consolation, relief, reassurance, sympathy, commiseration, cheer, support, succor, lift, alleviation, help.

ANT.: 1. discomfort, agony, pain. 2. aggravation

II

v.

console, soothe, reassure, unburden, support, uphold, alleviate, hearten, bolster, cheer, mitigate, solace, relieve, salve, gladden, assuage.

ANT.: aggravate, trouble, burden

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) I verb 1. To give hope to in time of grief or pain: console, solace, soothe. See HELP. 2. To make less severe or more bearable: allay, alleviate, assuage, ease, lessen, lighten2, mitigate, palliate, relieve. See INCREASE. II noun 1. Steady good fortune or financial security: ease, prosperity, prosperousness. Informal: easy street. Idioms: comfortable (or easy) circumstances, the good life. See RICH, THRIVE. 2. A consoling in time of grief or pain: consolation, solace. See HELP. 3. Anything that increases physical comfort: amenity, convenience, facility (often used in plural). See COMFORT.