consolation

[kon-suh-ley-shuh n] /ˌkɒn səˈleɪ ʃən/
noun
1.
the act of consoling; comfort; solace.
2.
the state of being consoled.
3.
someone or something that consoles:
His faith was a consolation during his troubles. Her daughters are a consolation to her.
4.
Sports. a game, match, or race for tournament entrants eliminated before the final round, as a basketball game between the losing semifinalists.
Origin
1325-75; Middle English consolacioun (< Anglo-French) < Latin consōlātiōn- (stem of consōlātiō), equivalent to consōlāt(us), past participle of consōlārī (con- con- + sōlā-, stem of sōlārī to comfort, + -tus past participle suffix) + -iōn- -ion; see solace
Synonyms
1. relief, succor, help, support, cheer.
Examples from the web for consolation
  • He made crime fiction a genre of moral consolation in twenty-five award-winning books.
  • He is to find consolation in exercising the highest functions of human nature.
  • Not everybody who approached him after that first meeting sought consolation.
  • And while faith gives her consolation now and then, she never shies away from the pain or the anger.
  • The only consolation to harried diplomats and their fearful interlocutors is that another leak on this scale seems unlikely.
  • It is a small consolation that the government can act to curb the damage.
  • One consolation is that your correspondent has not paid for a haircut in decades.
  • But that is scant consolation to traders priced out of overseas markets.
  • Her husband, for one, seems to have a pretty clear idea what he thinks she should get as a consolation prize.
  • It is a familiar scene these days: employees taking newly laid-off co-workers out for a consolation drink.
British Dictionary definitions for consolation

consolation

/ˌkɒnsəˈleɪʃən/
noun
1.
the act of consoling or state of being consoled; solace
2.
a person or thing that is a source of comfort in a time of suffering, grief, disappointment, etc
Derived Forms
consolatory (kənˈsɒlətərɪ; -trɪ) adjective
Word Origin and History for consolation
n.

late 14c., "act of consoling," from Old French consolacion (11c., Modern French consolation) "solace, comfort; delight, pleasure," from Latin consolationem (nominative consolatio-) "consoling, comforting," noun of action from consolat-, past participle stem of consolari (see console (v.)). Consolation prize is recorded from 1886.