1
as in encouraging
making one feel good inside
the comforting smell of fresh bread
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in relaxing
tending to calm the emotions and relieve stress
a long comforting soak in a hot bath
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
as in reassuring
to ease the grief or distress of
the first responders did their best to comfort the victims of the terrible tornado
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of comforting
Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
Sunday Chicken tastes deeply savory and comforting, with the mustard and oregano giving the crispy skin a subtle tang and herbaceous warmth.
—Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 17 May 2026
But throughout the hardships, the cast of the show has remained a comforting constant in one another’s lives.
—Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 15 May 2026
Those imperfections had distinct character and became identifiers — familiar, comforting, and enduring, even decades later.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 15 May 2026
Cosmic wisdom is less relevant than the comforting sentiment that everything is going to be okay.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 15 May 2026
Walking back to your room from the Superdome after attending the festival with thousands of other attendees is often more comforting and festive than waiting for a rideshare.
—Essence, 13 May 2026
The plaintive melodies are mournful yet comforting.
—Michelle F. Solomon, Miami Herald, 12 May 2026
Zeynep Tufekci, Mercury News, 20 May 2026
Throughout the day, friends and classmates gathered, wiping away tears, comforting each other and trying to process the sudden loss.
—Shelley Bortz, CBS News, 18 May 2026
In a world full of over-the-top snacks and viral desserts, there’s something comforting about a classic piece of chewy taffy that tastes like summer vacation.
—Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 18 May 2026
As a pastor, Readon is known in the community for fighting gun violence, often showing up at rallies and seen comforting grieving family members.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 15 May 2026
Caitlin Vaccaro has forged a decade-long career as a nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), caring for newborns in need and comforting their parents along the way.
—Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 11 May 2026
Throughout the evening, the cast and EPs spoke about how special the show feels to them to make, while also praising its wholesome, comforting warmth.
—Abby Stern, HollywoodReporter, 6 May 2026
In globalization, concreteness in English is comforting.
—Literary Hub, 4 May 2026
The result is a more filling, comforting bowl with minimal effort.
—Olivia McIntosh, Martha Stewart, 29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
The authors of the study found that, although honesty remains important overall, many individuals actually preferred comforting or reassuring dishonesty over the harsh truth in certain situations.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
Sunday Chicken tastes deeply savory and comforting, with the mustard and oregano giving the crispy skin a subtle tang and herbaceous warmth.
—Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 17 May 2026
But throughout the hardships, the cast of the show has remained a comforting constant in one another’s lives.
—Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 15 May 2026
Those imperfections had distinct character and became identifiers — familiar, comforting, and enduring, even decades later.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 15 May 2026
Cosmic wisdom is less relevant than the comforting sentiment that everything is going to be okay.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 15 May 2026
Walking back to your room from the Superdome after attending the festival with thousands of other attendees is often more comforting and festive than waiting for a rideshare.
—Essence, 13 May 2026
The plaintive melodies are mournful yet comforting.
—Michelle F. Solomon, Miami Herald, 12 May 2026
Verb
Early on, many infected people spread the virus to few people, which generated comforting statistics on average.
—Zeynep Tufekci, Mercury News, 20 May 2026
Throughout the day, friends and classmates gathered, wiping away tears, comforting each other and trying to process the sudden loss.
—Shelley Bortz, CBS News, 18 May 2026
In a world full of over-the-top snacks and viral desserts, there’s something comforting about a classic piece of chewy taffy that tastes like summer vacation.
—Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 18 May 2026
As a pastor, Readon is known in the community for fighting gun violence, often showing up at rallies and seen comforting grieving family members.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 15 May 2026
Caitlin Vaccaro has forged a decade-long career as a nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), caring for newborns in need and comforting their parents along the way.
—Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 11 May 2026
Throughout the evening, the cast and EPs spoke about how special the show feels to them to make, while also praising its wholesome, comforting warmth.
—Abby Stern, HollywoodReporter, 6 May 2026
In globalization, concreteness in English is comforting.
—Literary Hub, 4 May 2026
The result is a more filling, comforting bowl with minimal effort.
—Olivia McIntosh, Martha Stewart, 29 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for comforting
Adjective
-
Whether this year is another blip or the start of at least a small rebuild is of course impossible to say yet, but the number of shows increasing (as did the number of pilots networks made) is an encouraging sign.—
Rick Porter,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2026
-
As such, Google Project Zero is strongly encouraging vendors to improve their proactive software development practices to prevent these kinds of vulnerabilities from ever reaching end users.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
Adjective
-
Chena Hot Springs Resort, Fairbanks, Alaska For a relaxing dip, Chena Hot Springs Resort in Fairbanks, Alaska, has a hot spring-fed lake that stays around 106 degrees year-round.—
Talia Avakian,
Travel + Leisure,
14 May 2026
-
There’s the relaxing and meditative Cinq Mondes & Vinésime Spa, cooking classes, a gym, tennis, padel and pickleball courts, yoga and Pilates classes, fishing, vineyard safaris, sommelier master classes, seasonal truffle hunting and more.—
Chris Gardner,
HollywoodReporter,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
Canvot has been consistently excellent, too, undoubtedly benefiting from the reassurance provided by Maxence Lacroix at his side.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
-
That reassurance landed differently depending on who received it.—
Jeffrey Sanchez-Burks,
Fortune,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Almost every sound was reassuring, with one exception.—
Lisa Hughes,
CBS News,
19 May 2026
-
This year especially, that permanence seemed reassuring.—
Dana Harris-Bridson,
IndieWire,
18 May 2026
Adjective
-
The goal isn’t to chase trends but to understand motivations in order to design intuitive and rewarding experiences.—
Craig Waldman,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
-
Every creature Yoshi encounters presents new, rewarding gameplay concepts and tools for exploration and experimentation.—
Will Greenwald,
PC Magazine,
19 May 2026
Adjective
-
Opt for the signature Polynesian massage, which mimics soothing wave-like movements from head to toe.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
18 May 2026
-
The formula includes hyaluronic acid and vitamin E, giving it a soothing, balm-like feel that softens lips overnight.—
Symiah Dorsey,
Southern Living,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
The head linesman normally carries out the task of assuring the down marker is flipped.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
16 May 2026
-
Lauder, who is heir to the Estée Lauder Companies, and his daughter, Aerin Lauder Zinterhofer, plan to make a major gift that will fund a $200 million endowment assuring the long-term care of the Neue Galerie and the preservation of its works.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
Insider tip Stephanie, the innkeeper, is an innkeeper in the truest sense—warm, soft-spoken, and genuinely concerned about guests’ well-being.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
21 May 2026
-
In warm weather, your kitchen can get unpleasantly hot when cooking in a standard oven.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
20 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Comforting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/comforting. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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