Synonym Chooser

How is the word solicitude distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of solicitude are anxiety, care, concern, and worry. While all these words mean "a troubled or engrossed state of mind or the thing that causes this," solicitude implies great concern and connotes either thoughtful or hovering attentiveness toward another.

acted with typical maternal solicitude

When could anxiety be used to replace solicitude?

Although the words anxiety and solicitude have much in common, anxiety stresses anguished uncertainty or fear of misfortune or failure.

plagued by anxiety and self-doubt

In what contexts can care take the place of solicitude?

The words care and solicitude can be used in similar contexts, but care implies oppression of the mind weighed down by responsibility or disquieted by apprehension.

a face worn by years of care

When can concern be used instead of solicitude?

The words concern and solicitude are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, concern implies a troubled state of mind because of personal interest, relation, or affection.

crimes caused concern in the neighborhood

When is it sensible to use worry instead of solicitude?

The meanings of worry and solicitude largely overlap; however, worry suggests fretting over matters that may or may not be real cause for anxiety.

financial worries

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of solicitude Wexner may also have enjoyed a certain amount of solicitude from Harvard associated with his relationship with Epstein. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 18 Oct. 2023 Those suspicions were revived this month with the disclosure that the Saudi Arabian regime, toward which Trump showed great solicitude, has made a $2-billion investment in a fund operated by Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who worked as a member of the White House staff. Michael Hiltzikbusiness Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2022 Avedon wanted not only to detect the pulse, with a physician’s intimate solicitude, but to amplify and announce it, like a town crier. Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2023 Their nests, those altars of parental solicitude proudly built by other birds, are often slipshod affairs. Christoph Irmscher, WSJ, 3 Feb. 2023 See all Example Sentences for solicitude 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for solicitude
Noun
  • Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for medical concerns, and do not ignore professional advice based on information from MediKarma.
    Kyle J. Russell, USA TODAY, 18 Dec. 2024
  • President Joe Biden signed it into law in April, after years of some lawmakers questioning if ByteDance is a national security concern due to its ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
    Annabella Rosciglione, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 17 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • If Friday the 13th worries you, others share your fear.
    Janet Loehrke, USA TODAY, 12 Dec. 2024
  • That leaves Syria’s minority groups like Alawites, Shia Muslims, Ismailis, Druze, Kurds and Christians in fear of being targeted.
    Ivana Kottasová, CNN, 12 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • The braided and beaded trinkets are woven with messages of kindness, song lyrics or inside jokes among her devotees, who cluster in venue aisles and interminable merchandise lines at concerts to trade as part of their own secret society.
    Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 10 Dec. 2024
  • One act of kindness and then to have that dream and that goal to be able to help others and do one step at a time to get there.
    Gabriel Kinder and Allie Torgan, CNN, 8 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • On one side, parents share haunting stories of depression, anxiety, and eating disorders and blame ...
    Edward Longe, National Review, 18 Dec. 2024
  • Cycling anxiety thoughts in the middle of the night.
    Jay Stahl, USA TODAY, 18 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • The care that is evident in each corner is overwhelming.
    Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 16 Dec. 2024
  • Hospitals can further personalize care by using data from these tools to tailor XR content to each patient’s needs, focusing on areas of confusion or concern.
    Alon Zuckerman, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • Pentagon officials tried and failed to block the deal at the time, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal, which cited worries that AMD had transferred crucial know-how that could aid China’s military and domestic semiconductor ambitions.
    Billy Perrigo, TIME, 10 Dec. 2024
  • In fact, our primary worry on this front is less about workers staying in their roles longer and more about declining immigration, which has been a source of economic strength in recent years.
    Jeffrey Schulze, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • Sitting with the images can bring on a creeping sense of unease.
    Jacqui Palumbo, CNN, 18 Dec. 2024
  • Resident James Edwards of Succasunna expressed unease, urging calm amid speculation.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 12 Dec. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near solicitude

Cite this Entry

“Solicitude.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/solicitude. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on solicitude

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