Meaning & use

condolence

noun·Academic

An expression of sympathy for someone experiencing grief, especially after a death.

See it in a sentence

Friends sent their condolences to the family after hearing the sad news.

She wrote a heartfelt letter of condolence to her colleague's widow.

A note on using this word

Condolence is usually used in the plural, 'condolences', especially in the common phrase 'offer condolences' or 'my condolences'.

Words with a similar meaning

sympathycommiseration

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

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