companionship

Meaning

1. 1noununcountable

   The comfort and pleasure of having another person or an animal with you, especially when you would otherwise be alone.

   Grammar: Never takes a plural or 'a': enjoy companionship, not enjoy a companionship.

   Patterns

   • the companionship of someone
   • companionship with someone
   • provide companionship

   After her husband died, the dog gave her companionship through the long evenings.

   He joined the walking club mainly for the companionship.

   Many older people crave companionship more than entertainment.

Common combinations

seek companionship

Moving to a new city, she sought companionship at the local library group.

offer companionship

Volunteers visit the home to offer companionship to residents.

human companionship

Months at the research station made him miss human companionship.

enjoy the companionship of

He enjoyed the companionship of his colleagues on the long voyage.

a source of companionship

The cat became a source of companionship for the lonely boy.

Synonyms and how they differ

fellowship

Fellowship suggests a shared purpose or membership in a group, while companionship can be just two people keeping each other company.

friendship

Friendship means a lasting bond between people, whereas companionship may be only the comfort of being together and can include pets.

company

Company is the more casual word, as in 'I enjoy her company', while companionship stresses the ongoing support it provides.

Opposites

Word family

companion noun

a person or animal who spends time with you

accompany verb

to go somewhere with someone

companionable adjective

friendly and pleasant to be with

companionably adverb

in a friendly, comfortable way

Commonly confused: companionship or company?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “companionship”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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