solace

verb so·lace \ ˈsä-ləs also ˈsō- \

Updated on: 21 Feb 2018

Definition of solace

solaced; solacing

transitive verb

1 : to give comfort to in grief or misfortune : console

2 a : to make cheerful

b : amuse

3 : allay, soothe

solace grief

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solacement

play \ˈsä-ləs-mənt also ˈsō-\ noun

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solacer

noun

solace was our Word of the Day on 09/13/2011. Hear the podcast!

Examples of solace in a Sentence

Solaced by an abundance of whisky, champagne and cigars, he always bounced back, restoring and recreating himself through intensely active immersion in one or another of his varied interests … —Robert Kuttner, New York Times Book Review, 23 Oct. 1988
In this deplorable state, I contrived to do, what I take to have been, three Objective things. I got Mr. Franklin his sherry; I retired to my own room; and I solaced myself with the most composing pipe of tobacco I ever remember to have smoked in my life. —Wilkie Collins, The Moonstone, 1868
… and it was settled that Mr. Jones should be sent for early in the morning if Miss Bennet were not decidedly better. Bingley was quite uncomfortable; his sisters declared that they were miserable. They solaced their wretchedness, however, by duets after supper … —Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, 1813
counselors did their best to solace the bereaved children
I solaced myself with a book while I waited for the bus.

Origin and Etymology of solace

see ²solace

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

solace Synonyms

solace

noun so·lace \ ˈsä-ləs also ˈsō- \

Definition of solace

1 : comfort in grief : alleviation of grief or anxiety

2 : a source of relief or consolation

See solace defined for English-language learners

See solace defined for kids

Examples of solace in a Sentence

Think your city's suffering? Imagine if your favorite team bolted town after 41 seasons, not for some cosmopolitan burg but a dusty outpost where oil derricks qualify as urban skyline. Now imagine turning to your city's other teams for solace only to find each to be avert-your-eyes abysmal. —Chris Ballard, Sports Illustrated, 10 Nov. 2008
It's important to explain what's going on, but some parents tell their child too much—about being lonely and frightened, about dates they're going on. Instead of the parent offering emotional solace to the child, the child is expected to provide it for the adult. —People, 4 Mar. 2002
Poe's poem is a morbidly sentimental threnody on the same theme: the speaker blames the envious angels for taking his beloved from this world, and finds solace in lying beside her grave. —David Lodge, The Art of Fiction, 1992
Her presence was a great solace for me.
the kind words brought a little solace to the grieving widow

Recent Examples of solace from the Web

Black mothers who have been harmed by the state over and over again, who then seek solace in drug use, are vilified, criminalized and abandoned.

— kirsten west savali, The Root, "The Shame Is Not Ours: Black America, Poverty and the War on Drugs," 5 Feb. 2018
Its back patio area offers up solace from the big city.

— craig hlavaty, Houston Chronicle, "Forget beer crawls, a caffeine crawl is coming to Houston later this month," 1 Feb. 2018
That provides little solace to Magic players, especially to the veterans who previously played for winning teams.

— josh robbins, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Magic’s inability to string wins together frustrates players," 25 Jan. 2018
The nonprofit’s Center for Compassionate Care at 930 Canterbury Place was remodeled to include the new 1,700-square-foot meeting place for grieving children to find solace.

— linda mcintosh, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Hospice opens place for grieving children," 23 Jan. 2018
More recently, investors have found solace in the company’s profitable cloud services business, which has helped offset losses in e-commerce.

— Fortune, "This Is Amazon's Master Plan to Become Profitable," 19 Jan. 2018
In the days following Donald Trump’s election as the 45th president of the United States in 2016, Patrisse Khan-Cullors took solace in a talk from astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.

— timothy bella, Daily Intelligencer, "Patrisse Khan-Cullors on 5 Years of Black Lives Matter," 18 Jan. 2018
But there’s a way to reclaim that enviable solitude slopeside: Resorts across the country are figuring out how to keep crowds at bay and get solace seekers to more remote corners of the mountain.

— candice rainey, Esquire, "Where to Get a Ski Slope to Yourself on Any Budget," 12 Jan. 2018
But Ginobili, who had 21 points in last Friday night's win over Phoenix, took no solace in that fact.

— tom orsborn, San Antonio Express-News, "Aldridge accepts blame for Spurs loss to Blazers," 8 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'solace.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.