inconsolable

adjective

in·​con·​sol·​able ˌin-kən-ˈsō-lə-bəl 

: incapable of being consoled : disconsolate

inconsolableness noun

inconsolably

ˌin-kən-ˈsō-lə-blē 

adverb

Synonyms

• bad
• blue
• brokenhearted
• cast down
• crestfallen
• dejected
• depressed
• despondent
• disconsolate
• doleful
• down
• down in the mouth
• downcast
• downhearted
• droopy
• forlorn
• gloomy
• glum
• hangdog
• heartbroken
• heartsick
• heartsore
• heavyhearted
• joyless
• low
• low-spirited
• melancholic
• melancholy
• miserable
• mournful
• sad
• saddened
• sorrowful
• sorry
• unhappy
• woebegone
• woeful
• wretched

Examples of inconsolable in a Sentence

She was inconsolable when she learned that he had died.

he was inconsolable after the death of his wife

Recent Examples on the Web

Ryan Wettstein Nauman was inconsolable one evening last December. —Bram Sable-Smith, CBS News, 27 Nov. 2024

More From Newsweek Vault: Walmart+ Members Get New Perk Aimed at Pet Owners Doctors discovered the patient, named as 61-year-old Joanie Simpson, had recently lost her nine-year-old Yorkshire terrier and was inconsolable. —Matt Robison, Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2024

But Cal is understandably pretty inconsolable, which leaves Schmitt crying outside. —Laura Bradley, Vulture, 4 Oct. 2024

The primate’s behavior could instead suggest a failure to grasp the fact that the baby has died; far from being inconsolable, maybe the animal in question is just oblivious. —Kathryn Schulz, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin inconsolabilis, from in- + consolabilis consolable

First Known Use

1596, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

inconsolable

adjective

in·​con·​sol·​able ˌin-kən-ˈsō-lə-bəl 

: incapable of being comforted : disconsolate

inconsolably

-blē 

adverb