Meaning & use
consoled
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“consoled” is a form of “console”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
verbtransitive
comforted someone who was feeling sad or disappointed
Grammar: Takes an object: she consoled her friend. The active form is console; consoled is the past tense and past participle.
Patterns
- console someone
- console someone with something
- be consoled by something
He consoled his little sister after she lost her favorite toy.
The team consoled each other after the close loss.
She was consoled by the many messages of support.
Word forms
| third person singular | consoles |
|---|---|
| past tense | consoled |
| past participle | consoled |
| -ing form | consoling |
Common combinations
- consoled by
- She was consoled by her friends' kind words.
- consoled with
- He consoled the crying child with a gentle hug.
- consoled each other
- The teammates consoled each other after the defeat.
- consoled herself
- She consoled herself with the thought that she had done her best.
Synonyms and how they differ
- comforted
- Very similar, but comforted often suggests physical or emotional warmth, while consoled focuses on easing sadness or disappointment.
- soothed
- Soothed means calmed someone who is upset or anxious, often with gentle words or actions; consoled is more about sharing someone's sadness.
Opposites
Word family
- console verb
- The base form: to comfort someone.
- consolation noun
- Something that makes you feel better when you are sad.
- consolable adjective
- Able to be comforted; often used in the negative: inconsolable.
- consoling adjective
- Making someone feel less sad.
Commonly confused: consoled or console?
consoled vs console
As a noun, console means a panel with buttons or a gaming device, pronounced /ˈkɒnsəʊl/ (UK) or /ˈkɑːnsoʊl/ (US). The verb console is pronounced /kənˈsəʊl/.
Practice
After the funeral, many people ______ the widow.
Choose one answer.
The simple past 'consoled' fits because the action happened at a specific time. 'Consoling' would need a helping verb like 'were'. 'Console' is the base form and doesn't fit the past tense. 'Consoled with' would need an object after 'with'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “consoled”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.