What does consolement mean?
Consolement is a rare English noun meaning comfort or solace given to someone who is grieving, disappointed, or otherwise distressed. Functioning as a literary synonym of the far more common consolation, it can denote either the act of comforting or the thing that provides comfort: a kind word, a familiar ritual, or a friend's silent presence may all serve as consolement. The word derives from the Latin consolari, 'to console', via Old French, and belongs to a small family of '-ment' formations that English developed alongside alternatives like condolement. Although it appears in earlier centuries of English literature, consolement has never rivalled consolation in frequency and now surfaces mostly in poetry, historical fiction, or prose that deliberately reaches for an archaic tone. Writers who choose it trade everyday clarity for a certain gravity and elegance, making it a useful word when a text calls for elevated, reflective diction rather than plain modern idiom.
nounConsolement is a rare and largely literary synonym of consolation, denoting comfort or solace given to someone who is suffering grief, disappointment, or distress. It can refer both to the act of comforting and to the source of that comfort.
- Comfort or solace offered to someone experiencing grief, disappointment, or hardship.
- A person, thing, or circumstance that provides such comfort; a source of relief.
"In her final letter she offered him what little consolement words could provide."
"The old priest's quiet presence was a consolement to the grieving family."
"She took what consolement she could from the knowledge that his suffering had ended."
Usually uncountable; the plural is uncommon and appears only when referring to distinct instances or sources of comfort.
"The memoir dwells on the small consolements that sustained him through exile."
Consolement looks like a typo of consolation — but it is a genuine English word, one of several '-ment' forms (alongside condolement) that English coined from Latin roots before settling on its more familiar favourites.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of consolement
Consolement comes from the Latin verb consolari, 'to console, comfort', formed from com- ('together') plus solari ('to soothe'), the same root that gives us solace. English adopted the pattern through Old French consol-, attaching the Germanic-derived '-ment' suffix to form an abstract noun alongside the Latinate alternative consolation. Its close cousin condolement shows the same '-ment' formation at work in English's medieval and early modern vocabulary. Cognates and relatives include console, consolatory, and disconsolate, all tracing back to the same Latin root.
How consolement is actually used
Consolement is markedly less common than consolation and today survives mainly in literary, historical, or deliberately archaising prose. Using it lends a slightly formal, old-fashioned flavour to writing; in everyday speech and most contemporary writing, consolation is strongly preferred. The word is understood but rarely encountered, so it should be used knowingly rather than by accident.
Easily confused with consolement
Consolation is the standard, common word for comfort in distress, while consolement is a rare, literary variant carrying essentially the same meaning.
Condolement (now archaic) refers specifically to the expression of sorrow or mourning for someone's death, whereas consolement refers to the comfort itself.