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
  • So having another person in her space was always a little surprising, even if the curator, gazing at her with his usual mix of mild reproach and gauzy concern, seemed not abundantly different from the empty chair.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
  • While health has always been a personal concern, now there are more ways for leadership to support these habits through intentional programming.
    Serenity Gibbons, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • 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
  • Just as essential a consideration as carefulness for committee members, though, is speed.
    Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 26 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • The construction plans have generally raised fears that the London complex could serve as a Beijing intelligence hub.
    Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 14 Jan. 2026
  • Several Venezuela residents told TIME that the fear of what might be discovered on their phone at a checkpoint has guided their behavior in the days since Maduro's ouster.
    Brian Bennett, Time, 13 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • For months afterward, kindness arrived in unexpected forms — neighbors bringing food, strangers offering furniture, friends calling daily.
    Jonathan Taplin, Rolling Stone, 7 Jan. 2026
  • Does their lack of kindness grant you permission to respond with equal insensitivity or even cruelty?
    Michael Isaacson, Sun Sentinel, 6 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Somehow, this new sensation emitted an awareness of the magnitude in which skateboarding would warp my life, which only ratcheted up the anxiety of blowing it.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Jan. 2026
  • The news this week that an ICE agent had shot and killed a woman in Minnesota heightened his anxiety.
    Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Workers counter that the health giant can afford to boost wages, and that patients are already suffering from long wait times and subpar care because Kaiser does not offer competitive pay.
    Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2026
  • Through these consultations, individuals can speak directly with a care professional to better understand available support, resources, and next steps related to aging, care planning, and services.
    Kris Slugg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Apple has been caught in the fray on worries that a tight memory cycle will eat into hardware gross margins, given that products such as iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches and Macs heavily use DRAM and NAND flash memory.
    Pia Singh, CNBC, 29 Jan. 2026
  • There are significant worries that AI can readily go off the rails or otherwise dispense unsuitable or even egregiously inappropriate mental health advice.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • For Prada, the show represented a sense of unease in uncertain times, bringing to life a collection that felt timely in its imperfections.
    Brett F. Braley-Palko, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
  • At the same time, frequent policy changes that deepen unease can discourage investment and snarl planning.
    Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 22 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Solicitude.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/solicitude. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.

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