Library / English Dictionary

COMFORT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Assistance, such as that provided to an enemy or to a known criminal

Example:

it gave comfort to the enemy

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("comfort" is a kind of...):

aid; assist; assistance; help (the activity of contributing to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The act of consoling; giving relief in affliction

Example:

his presence was a consolation to her

Synonyms:

comfort; consolation; solace

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("comfort" is a kind of...):

ministration; relief; succor; succour (assistance in time of difficulty)

Derivation:

comfort (give moral or emotional strength to)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Bedding made of two layers of cloth filled with stuffing and stitched together

Synonyms:

comfort; comforter; puff; quilt

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("comfort" is a kind of...):

bed clothing; bedclothes; bedding (coverings that are used on a bed)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "comfort"):

continental quilt; duvet; eiderdown (a soft quilt usually filled with the down of the eider)

patchwork; patchwork quilt (a quilt made by sewing patches of different materials together)

Derivation:

comfort (lessen pain or discomfort; alleviate)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A feeling of freedom from worry or disappointment

Classified under:

Nouns denoting feelings and emotions

Hypernyms ("comfort" is a kind of...):

pleasance; pleasure (a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "comfort"):

consolation; solace; solacement (the comfort you feel when consoled in times of disappointment)

alleviation; assuagement; relief (the feeling that comes when something burdensome is removed or reduced)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Satisfaction or physical well-being provided by a person or thing

Example:

a padded chair was one of the room's few comforts

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Hypernyms ("comfort" is a kind of...):

gratification; satisfaction (state of being gratified or satisfied)

Sense 6

Meaning:

A state of being relaxed and feeling no pain

Example:

she longed for the comfortableness of her armchair

Synonyms:

comfort; comfortableness

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Hypernyms ("comfort" is a kind of...):

condition; status (a state at a particular time)

Attribute:

comfortable; comfy (providing or experiencing physical well-being or relief ('comfy' is informal))

uncomfortable (providing or experiencing physical discomfort)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "comfort"):

ease; relief (the condition of being comfortable or relieved (especially after being relieved of distress))

solace; solacement (comfort in disappointment or misery)

cosiness; coziness; snugness (a state of warm snug comfort)

convenience (the state of being suitable or opportune)

Antonym:

discomfort (the state of being tense and feeling pain)

Derivation:

comfort (lessen pain or discomfort; alleviate)

Sense 7

Meaning:

A freedom from financial difficulty that promotes a comfortable state

Example:

he had all the material comforts of this world

Synonyms:

comfort; ease

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Hypernyms ("comfort" is a kind of...):

affluence; richness (abundant wealth)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "comfort"):

lap of luxury (in conditions of wealth and comfort)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Lessen pain or discomfort; alleviate

Example:

ease the pain in your legs

Synonyms:

comfort; ease

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Hypernyms (to "comfort" is one way to...):

alleviate; assuage; palliate; relieve (provide physical relief, as from pain)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

comfort (bedding made of two layers of cloth filled with stuffing and stitched together)

comfort (a state of being relaxed and feeling no pain)

comforter (device used for an infant to suck or bite on)

comforter (bedding made of two layers of cloth filled with stuffing and stitched together)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Give moral or emotional strength to

Synonyms:

comfort; console; solace; soothe

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "comfort"):

calm; calm down; lull; quiet; quieten; still; tranquilize; tranquillise; tranquillize (make calm or still)

allay; ease; relieve; still (lessen the intensity of or calm)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody

Sentence example:

The good news will comfort her

Derivation:

comfort (the act of consoling; giving relief in affliction)

comforter (a person who reduces the intensity (e.g., of fears) and calms and pacifies)

comforter (a person who commiserates with someone who has had misfortune)

Credits

 Context examples: 

If there was any word of comfort that would be a solace to her in her dying hour, and only I possessed it, I wouldn't part with it for Life itself.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Standing in the doorway and glancing round me, I had a general impression of extraordinary comfort and elegance combined with an atmosphere of masculine virility.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

And this world is so ordered that money is necessary to happiness—oh, no, not these swollen fortunes, but enough of money to permit of common comfort and decency.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

But I struggled upward, and at last I reached a ledge several feet deep and covered with soft green moss, where I could lie unseen, in the most perfect comfort.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

It had increased her comforts by making her feel herself to be in good hands.

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)

It is to be hoped so, I suppose, for his chances of comfort in another world are very small.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

Mrs. Dashwood had been informed by her husband of the solemn promise on the part of his son in their favour, which gave comfort to his last earthly reflections.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

She shared in their attendance on Mrs. Bennet, and was a great comfort to them in their hours of freedom.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

Like most lonely ladies, Lady Frances found her comfort and occupation in religion.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Several new kinds of plants sprang up in the garden, which they dressed; and these signs of comfort increased daily as the season advanced.

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)