Word.ws English Dictionary

consolatory

UK/kənˈsɒl.ət.(ə)ɹ.i/US/kənˈsoʊl.ə.tɔɹ.i/

consolatory adjective: which consoles.

Adjective

consolatory (comparative more consolatory, superlative most consolatory)

  1. Which consoles.
    • […] where in he reporteth of the coragius
      wordes that were moch consolatory […]1523, John Skelton, “The quene of fame to dame Pallas”, in A ryght delectable treatyse upon a goodly garlande or chapelet of laurell
    • Where then is the restorative, the consolatory nature of these words? In this, beloved, consists our comfort […]1649, John Donne, Fifty Sermons, London: M.F., J. Marriot and R. Royston, Volume 2, “Sermon XVII. Preached at Lincolns Inne,” p. 140

Noun

consolatory (plural consolatories)

  1. That which consoles; a speech or writing intended for consolation.
    • Consolatories writ
      With studied argument, and much perswasion sought
      Lenient of grief and anxious thought,
      But with' afflicted in his pangs thir sound
      Little prevails,1671, John Milton, Samson Agonistes, lines 658-662, in Paradise Regain’d […] to which is added Samson Agonistes, London: John Starkey, pp. 43-44
    • How is it possible to imagine, that a woman, who has all these consolatories to reflect upon, will die of a broken heart?1748, [Samuel Richardson], “Letter XLVIII”, in Clarissa. Or, The History of a Young Lady: […], volume VI, London: […] S[amuel] Richardson; [a]nd sold by John Osborn, […], →OCLC, page 189

Examples of consolatory in a sentence

  • The punishment of real tyrants is a noble and awful act of justice; and it has with truth been said to be consolatory to the human mind.1790, Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France, London: J. Dodsley, page 123:
  • “It is singularly reviving after such hurricanes to feel calm return, and from the opening clouds to receive a consolatory gleam, softly testifying that the sun is not quenched.”1849, Currer Bell [pseudonym; Charlotte Brontë], “Shirley and Caroline”, in Shirley. A Tale. […], volume II, London: Smith, Elder and Co....
  • That was the consolatory side of family life, Grorley thought—the long, Olympian codas of the emotions were cut short by the niggling detail.1964, Hortense Calisher, “A Christmas Carillon”, in Extreme Magic: A Novella and Other Stories, Boston: Little, Brown, page 64:

Forms of consolatory

Adjective
comparativemore consolatory
superlativemost consolatory
Noun
pluralconsolatories

Origin of consolatory

From Middle English consolatory, from Latin cōnsōlātōrius.

Words formed from consolatory

Questions about consolatory

What does consolatory mean?
Consolatory means which consoles.
How do you use consolatory in a sentence?
The punishment of real tyrants is a noble and awful act of justice; and it has with truth been said to be consolatory to the human mind.
What part of speech is consolatory?
Consolatory can be an adjective or a noun.
How do you pronounce consolatory?
Consolatory is pronounced /kənˈsɒl.ət.(ə)ɹ.i/ (UK).

Words near consolatory in the dictionary

  1. consolator
  2. consolatories
  3. consolatorily
  4. consolatoriness
  5. consolators
  6. consolatory
  7. consolatrix
  8. console
  9. console converter
  10. console converters
  11. console game

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: consolatory (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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