comforting 1 of 3

comforting

2 of 3

noun

as in reassurance
the giving of hope and strength in times of grief, distress, or suffering the comforting of the sick has always been regarded as one of the major acts of charity

Synonyms & Similar Words

comforting

3 of 3

verb

present participle of comfort

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of comforting
Adjective
Then complement it with a refreshing fattoush salad or one of our comforting homestyle stews, which reflect the heart of our kitchen. Shivani Vora, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025 Meanwhile, Mary’s mother, Cora, remains a stalwart and comforting presence. Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 11 Sep. 2025 What's more comforting on a cool evening than a warm bowl of homemade soup? Jenna Sims, Southern Living, 11 Sep. 2025 And on that front, the global picture for critical minerals is not a comforting one. Fatih Birol, Time, 10 Sep. 2025 For something different, serve them with grits for a warm, comforting dish or tuck them between whole wheat bread for a leftovers sandwich. Abby Norman, Verywell Health, 10 Sep. 2025 And don't forget about comforting scents, which help recreate the warm feel of a board game café at home. Andrea Beck, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Sep. 2025 From childhood memories of cornflakes to college dinners of Cheerios, cereal has been a comforting constant for generations. Tammy Algood, Nashville Tennessean, 9 Sep. 2025 The characters seated at the dinner table are strangers, but the scene inside is familiar, comforting. Sarah Adler september 8, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
Not exactly a pep talk, but comforting nevertheless. Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 12 Sep. 2025 Designed to burn cleaner, the candles’ comforting scents will fill any room for up to 150 hours. Melody Kazel, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025 This homey dish takes comforting canned tuna to richer, silkier heights. The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2025 Caring man comforting upset wife after receiving bad news. Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025 Since then, their roadside stand has evolved into a destination with produce from local growers and a menu of comforting baked goods, lunches, and take-home meals. Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 9 Sep. 2025 Indeed, the eatery’s comforting red-sauce fare and casual feel helped endear it to famous regulars Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Frank Sinatra and Jack Nicholson, to name a few. Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025 There’s something comforting about returning to the familiar rhythms of the last sitcom everyone seemed to be watching at the same time, even if only one member of the original cast, Oscar Nuñez, reprises his role. Judy Berman, Time, 3 Sep. 2025 Joan comforting and encouraging him later in the episode was nice. Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for comforting
Adjective
  • While the results are encouraging, officials warn that technology alone cannot solve the crisis.
    BusPatrol - A Mission-Driven Organization, Miami Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
  • But on a remarkably low-volume day for the Green Bay offense as a whole, Kraft's role was actually encouraging.
    Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • And just hanging out with a couple of my close friends and my dogs and going somewhere fun and relaxing, or even just going to the movies.
    Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 12 Sep. 2025
  • The main level sports a spacious, open layout, with several distinct spaces for both entertaining and relaxing.
    Tori Latham, Robb Report, 11 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Companies want reassurance that you will not get slowed down by unfamiliar systems but will instead jump in and keep things moving.
    Sho Dewan, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
  • Despite the confident reassurances of my midwife that babies do not wean themselves, my daughter did.
    Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Charlie Kirk, offering Sandmann encouragement and reassuring him that people cared about him and the truth.
    Jolene Almendarez, Cincinnati Enquirer, 12 Sep. 2025
  • With every customer issue, start by reassuring the customer that the problem will be resolved.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Systems thinking revealed that sales incentives were rewarding gross margin without considering the true cost of processing small orders.
    Thomas Lim, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Star clusters Star clusters are some of the most rewarding objects to observe, and the smart telescope did not disappoint.
    Harry Bennett, Space.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • They’re placed on or next to the body and struck with a mallet to release a calming vibration and mellifluous tone that eases muscles, sparking an immediately soothing effect on the nervous system and improving synaptic responses in the brain.
    Terry Elward, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Whatever the manifestation—hair-tucking, shorts-pulling, ball-bouncing, bobbing, pocket-checking, or something else entirely—the familiarity of these motions can have a soothing effect, calming the player’s nerves before a big shot.
    Caroline Tien, SELF, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Alaskan authorities are assuring regulations are followed.
    Andrew Watman, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
  • In particular, O’Neill proposed doing away with FDA’s 60-year-old mandate of assuring new drugs are both safe and effective in treating disease.
    Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • While this is only slightly warmer than what is normal for mid-September for the Gulf Coast, this is 10 to 15 degrees warmer than what is normal for this time of the year for much of the Mississippi Valley -- including for parts of Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, South Dakota and Minnesota.
    Kyle Reiman, ABC News, 13 Sep. 2025
  • Great Britain’s winning performance from Friday’s four races, held in bright sunshine and warm gusty breeze, earned driver Dylan Fletcher and his team their second victory of the season.
    Andrew Rice, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Comforting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/comforting. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.

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