solicitous

adjective

so·lic·i·tous | \sə-ˈli-sə-təs,

-ˈli-stəs\

Definition of solicitous

1 : manifesting or expressing solicitude a solicitous inquiry about his health

2 : full of concern or fears : apprehensive solicitous about the future

3 : meticulously careful solicitous in matters of dress

4 : full of desire : eager

Other Words from solicitous Synonyms & Antonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about solicitous

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Did You Know?

If you're solicitous about learning the connections between words, you'll surely want to know about the relationship between "solicitous" and another word you've probably heard before-"solicit." "Solicitous" doesn't come from "solicit," but the two words are related. They both have their roots in the Latin word sollicitus, meaning "anxious." "Solicitous" itself came directly from this Latin word, whereas "solicit" made its way to English with a few more steps. From "sollicitus" came the Latin verb sollicitare, meaning "to disturb, agitate, move, or entreat." Forms of this verb were borrowed into Anglo-French, and then Middle English, and have survived in Modern English as "solicit."

Examples of solicitous in a Sentence

I appreciated his solicitous inquiry about my health. He had always been solicitous for the welfare of his family.

Recent Examples on the Web

Trump’s bitter clashes with Canada and Europe over trade, as well as his solicitous courtship of North Korea’s brutal dictator, all reflect this mercantile perspective. — Tory Newmyer, Washington Post, "The Finance 202: It's U.S. states that will bear the brunt of Trump's tariffs," 14 June 2018 Service ☆☆ 1/2 Service on occasion can be an odd combination of slow and overly solicitous. — Kate Washington, sacbee, "It's not flashy or splashy, but Roseville's Ciao excels at cooking classic Italian," 8 June 2018 The move follows criticism from consumer groups who argue the CFPB is now more solicitous of industry input, a turnaround for an agency once viewed as their ally. — Lalita Clozel, WSJ, "Consumer Agency Tosses Members of Advisory Groups," 6 June 2018 White House officials privately assess that the world leaders most solicitous toward Trump are rarely the most effective. — Washington Post, "Trump rarely conducts business as usual with foreign leaders," 7 June 2018 Another politician whom donors mentioned as solicitous of New York is Steve Bullock, the governor of Montana. — Shane Goldmacher, New York Times, "The First 2020 Race Is Underway: Scrambling for New York Donors," 9 June 2018 Our waiter was a joy and couldn’t have been more solicitous. — Si Liberman, San Antonio Express-News, "Living it up on MSC Seaside’s ship within a ship," 5 June 2018 Throughout the meal, friendly, solicitous service capped the appealing experience. — Tim Smith, baltimoresun.com, "High marks for Topside in food, drink and view," 22 May 2018 The service was solicitous, and the food was tasty and fresh. — Troy L. Smith, cleveland.com, "Rae Sremmurd joins Wiz Khalifa for 'Dazed & Blazed' tour," 15 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'solicitous.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near solicitous

solicitor general

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Time Traveler for solicitous

The first known use of solicitous was in 1563

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More Definitions for solicitous

solicitous

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of solicitous

: showing concern or care for someone's health, happiness, etc.

See the full definition for solicitous in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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