solicitude
Americannoun
-
the state of being solicitous; anxiety or concern.
- Synonyms:
- apprehension, disquietude, unease, care, worry
-
solicitudes, causes of anxiety or care.
-
an attitude expressing excessive attentiveness.
to show great solicitude about his wife's health.
noun
-
the state or quality of being solicitous
-
(often plural) something that causes anxiety or concern
-
anxiety or concern
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of solicitude
1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin sollicitūdō uneasiness of mind, derivative of sollicitus agitated. See solicit, -tude
Explanation
Solicitude is more-than-average concern for someone. When you're sick in bed, it's nice to have someone around to treat you with solicitude, hovering nearby, bringing you cups of tea, and handing you tissues all day. Someone who shows you solicitude obviously cares about you. You could act with solicitude toward a lost child in a shopping mall if you calm him, dry his tears, and help him find his mother. Sometimes solicitude implies too much concern, bordering on anxiety. The Latin word for agitated is sollicitus — which is also the root of solicitude.
Vocabulary lists containing solicitude
Frankenstein
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Pride and Prejudice
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The Federalist Papers, No. 1 by Alexander Hamilton
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Indeed, goodness seems like too active a word for this novel; the principal virtue, instead, is solicitude.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026
Rightly or wrongly decided, Yoder fit the mission statement that guided the court throughout the middle of the 20th century: The Amish deserved judicial solicitude because they were literally a “discrete and insular minority.”
From Slate • Jul. 1, 2025
In his review, Roger Ebert marveled at Bates’ talent for oscillating from “sweet solicitude to savage scorn.”
From Salon • Mar. 23, 2025
We’d already called for a Lyft so we didn’t take them up on the offer but were still touched by their solicitude.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 15, 2024
Old Bilder examined him all over with most tender solicitude, and when he had finished with his penitent said:—
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
