solicitous

adjective so·lic·i·tous \ sə-ˈli-sə-təs , -ˈli-stəs \

Updated on: 20 Apr 2018

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

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solicitously

adverb

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solicitousness

noun

See solicitous defined for English-language learners

See solicitous defined for kids

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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 of solicitous from the Web

Comey, ever solicitous of good press, tapped Patrick Fitzgerald, the hard-charging U.S. attorney in Chicago to come to town and start wrecking shop.

— chris stirewalt, Fox News, "Michael Cohen ≠ Scooter Libby," 13 Apr. 2018
Perhaps, after months of being solicitous to Putin and trying to forge a relationship with him at considerable political risk, Trump is losing patience.

— stephen collinson, CNN, "What's at stake for Trump in Syria," 9 Apr. 2018
During the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump was solicitous of Putin, refusing to condemn him for his aggressive tactics in Ukraine and later as president reluctant to conclude that Russia interfered in the U.S. election.

— author: cal thomas | opinion, Anchorage Daily News, "The Russian (S)election," 22 Mar. 2018
But there is sweetness enough in the very fine food made with care and in the cordial and solicitous staff, whose skill and thoughtfulness could be emulated by some of the higher-end restaurantes in town.

— beth segal, cleveland.com, "Las Americas: Destination dining in the back of the store in Bedford Heights," 30 Mar. 2018
Service is solicitous, with managers circulating throughout the dining areas.

— spencer caldwell, courant.com, "Carbone's Prime, Rocky Hill," 24 Mar. 2018
But at some point, Facebook stopped being a solicitous friend/personal assistant and started being kind of stalker-y.

— karla peterson, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Is it time to break up with Facebook?," 23 Mar. 2018
President Obama was similarly solicitous, almost obsequious, with Putin's puppet, President Dmitry Medvedev.

— author: cal thomas | opinion, Anchorage Daily News, "The Russian (S)election," 22 Mar. 2018
During broadcasts, a steady stream of spectators sidestep the solicitous ushers and climb the stairs to where Weir, Lipinski and their other broadcasting partner, Terry Gannon, are perched and surreptitiously snap their photographs.

— karen crouse, New York Times, "What’s Inside Johnny Weir’s Hotel Room at the Olympics," 16 Feb. 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.

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."