unconsolable or inconsolable

Meaning

1. 1adjectivenot comparable

   So sad that nothing and no one can comfort you.

   Grammar: Used after a linking verb or before a noun: she was inconsolable; an inconsolable child.

   Patterns

   • be inconsolable
   • inconsolable with grief
   • an inconsolable person

   After the funeral she was inconsolable for weeks.

   The team was inconsolable after losing the final in the last minute.

   He tried to cheer up his inconsolable daughter, but nothing worked.

Common combinations

utterly inconsolable

He was utterly inconsolable when his dog died.

inconsolable with grief

The widow was inconsolable with grief for months.

an inconsolable child

The nurse held the inconsolable child until his mother arrived.

left inconsolable

The sudden news left the whole family inconsolable.

Synonyms and how they differ

heartbroken

Focuses on the painful feeling itself rather than on the fact that comfort is impossible.

devastated

Stronger and more general; it can also describe shock or ruin, not only grief that cannot be eased.

distraught

Suggests being wildly upset and unable to think clearly, while 'inconsolable' stresses that no comfort helps.

Opposites

Word family

console verb

to try to make someone feel less sad

consolation noun

something that makes a loss or disappointment easier to bear

consolable adjective

able to be comforted (rare, mostly used in contrast with 'inconsolable')

Commonly confused: unconsolable or inconsolable or unconsolable? unconsolable or inconsolable or uncomfortable?

Practice

Make it your own

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

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