Definition of solicitudenext

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

Example 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 Nature has made this a necessity: Without constant care and solicitude, an infant will die. Roxana Robinson, TIME, 18 July 2024 This idea will add the inducements of philanthropy to those of patriotism, to heighten the solicitude which all considerate and good men must feel for the event. Liz Tracey, JSTOR Daily, 30 May 2024 That’s surely what accounts for the solicitude that the cryptocurrency industry has been receiving from Congress. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2024 Realistically, however, Mexico faces a tough fight in a Supreme Court that’s shown a great deal of solicitude for the gun industry — even in cases that don’t involve a federal statute that protects gun companies from liability. Ian Millhiser, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018 See All Example Sentences for solicitude
Recent Examples of Synonyms for solicitude
Noun
  • Analysts have previously expressed concern that US stocks of the interceptors have been depleted by the Iran conflict as well as by last year’s 12-day war between Israel and Iran, and noted that manufacturing more takes time.
    Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 4 June 2026
  • Those concerns that chopped 30% off cyber stocks earlier this year could not have been more wrong, as Jim Cramer had said all along.
    Zev Fima, CNBC, 4 June 2026
Noun
  • There was no carefulness in it.
    Zack Meisel, New York Times, 1 May 2026
  • Organizations can benefit by valuing carefulness and concentration not as an obligation, but as a fundamental pillar of success.
    Heather V. MacArthur, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • All of my rage and fear and wonder.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 June 2026
  • The computing power needs, the competition from Anthropic, the potential for a more business-to-business stream of revenue, the fear that all of the big institutions that own it will want to cash out, makes this one plain fraught.
    Jim Cramer, CNBC, 31 May 2026
Noun
  • Small, concrete acts of kindness can mean more to a grieving person than words alone and eliminates the burden of having to ask for help.
    Julie Kaplow, USA Today, 30 May 2026
  • Her neighbors’ kindness helped her through her grief.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
Noun
  • Schizophrenia, bipolar, autism, anxiety, depression – all of these topics are almost global bestsellers.
    Jon LaPook, CBS News, 31 May 2026
  • While menopause is biological, many of the symptoms associated with it, including sleep disruption, anxiety, mood instability, brain fog, and fatigue, can also be amplified by chronic stress and nervous system overload.
    Meggen Harris, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
Noun
  • As courts weigh transgender military bans and states restrict gender-affirming care, some corporations retreat from sponsorship while local businesses step up to keep hometown Pride celebrations funded and visible.
    Geoff Mulvihill, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 2026
  • Every detail is a quiet act of care.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
Noun
  • While there were some concerns about Clark’s availability leading into last week’s Fever-Valkyries game, those worries proved short-lived.
    Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 28 May 2026
  • There was a worry that Anunoby would once again miss a significant amount of time in the playoffs due to injury.
    James L. Edwards III, New York Times, 28 May 2026
Noun
  • The constant movement might make some audience members dizzy, yet its jitteriness signifies the anxiety and unease of the characters, both in their skin and with each other.
    Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 25 May 2026
  • All that party infighting — present before every primary, but at a fever pitch now — comes against a backdrop of broader voter unease about the war in Iran, volatile oil and gas prices, and the burgeoning threat of AI to the American workforce.
    Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Solicitude.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/solicitude. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.

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