disconsolate

English

WOTD – 17 July 2012

Etymology

From Medieval Latin discōnsōlātus (“comfortless”), from dis- (“away”) +‎ cōnsōlātus (“consoled”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /dɪsˈkɒnsəlɪt/
• (US) IPA^(key): /dɪsˈkɑnsəlɪt/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

Adjective

disconsolate (comparative more disconsolate, superlative most disconsolate)

1. Cheerless, dreary.

   Synonyms: bleak, dreary, downcast; see also Thesaurus:cheerless

   I opened my eyes to this disconsolate day.

   • c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire, London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act III, scene ii:

     a farther paſſion feeds my thoughts,
     With ceaſeleſſe and diſconſolate conceits,
     Which dies my lookes so liueleſſe as they are,
     And might, if my extreames had ful euents,
     Make me the gaſtly counterfeit of death.

   • 1885, Robert L. Steveson, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, chapter 7.

     Sitting close beside it, taking the air with an infinite sadness of mien, like some disconsolate prisoner, Utterson saw Dr. Jekyll.

   • 1897, W.S.Maugham, Liza of Lambeth, chapter 1.

     Worst off of all were the very young children, for there had been no rain for weeks, and the street was as dry and clean as a covered court, and, in the lack of mud to wallow in, they sat about the road, disconsolate as poets.

   • 2013 November 26, Daniel Taylor, The Guardian‎^[1]:

     Özil looked a little disconsolate when he was substituted late on, though he did set up Wilshere's second with a lovely pass off the outside of his left boot.

2. Seemingly beyond consolation; inconsolable.

   Synonyms: dejected, inconsolable, unconsolable

   Antonym: consolable

   For weeks after the death of her cat she was disconsolate.

   • a. 1678 (date written), Isaac Barrow, “(please specify the chapter name or sermon number). The Pleasantness of Religion”, in The Works of Dr. Isaac Barrow. […], volumes (please specify |volume=I to VII), London: A[braham] J[ohn] Valpy, […], published 1830–1831, →OCLC:

     overwhelmed with disconsolate sorrow

Derived terms

• disconsolately
• disconsolation
• disconsolateness

Translations

cheerless, dreary

• Armenian: տխուր (hy) (txur), վշտահար (hy) (vštahar), թշվառ (hy) (tʻšvaṙ)
• Bulgarian: тъжен (bg) (tǎžen), печален (bg) (pečalen)
• Czech: sklíčený, zdrcený, zoufalý (cs)
• Dutch: troosteloos (nl), mistroostig (nl)
• German: trostlos (de)
• Greek: απελπισμένος (el) m (apelpisménos)
• Hungarian: szomorú (hu), bús (hu), vigasztalan (hu)
• Maori: kaimōhū
• Portuguese: melancólico (pt)
• Russian: печа́льный (ru) (pečálʹnyj)
• Sanskrit: खिन्न (sa) (khinna)
• Serbo-Croatian: potuljen (sh)
• Spanish: desconsolado (es)

inconsolable

• Armenian: անմխիթար (hy) (anmxitʻar), անսփոփ (hy) (anspʻopʻ), անամոք (hy) (anamokʻ)
• Bulgarian: неутешим (bg) (neutešim)
• Czech: neutěšitelný
• Dutch: ontroostbaar (nl)
• French: inconsolable (fr)
• German: untröstlich (de)
• Greek: απαρηγόρητος (el) m (aparigóritos)
• Hungarian: vigasztalan (hu), vigasztalhatatlan (hu)
• Maori: kaimōhū, pūkatokato, ohai, rohai, rohai
• Portuguese: desconsolado, desamparado (pt)
• Russian: безуте́шный (ru) (bezutéšnyj)
• Serbo-Croatian: neutješan (sh)
• Spanish: desconsolado (es)
• Swedish: otröstlig (sv) c
• Ukrainian: безуті́шний (uk) (bezutíšnyj), невті́шний (nevtíšnyj)

Noun

disconsolate

1. (obsolete) Disconsolateness.

Anagrams

• consolidates

Latin

Adjective

discōnsōlāte

1. vocative masculine singular of discōnsōlātus