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Soothing vs Comforting - What's the difference?

soothing | comforting |

As adjectives the difference between soothing and comforting

is that soothing is tending to soothe while comforting is giving comfort.

As verbs the difference between soothing and comforting

is that soothing is present participle of lang=en while comforting is present participle of lang=en.

As nouns the difference between soothing and comforting

is that soothing is the act by which somebody is soothed while comforting is the act of giving comfort.

soothing

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Tending to soothe.
    • soothing music
  • Giving relief.
    • a soothing ointment
  • Freeing from fear or anxiety.
    • soothing words

    Derived terms

    * soothingly

    Verb

    (head)

    • Noun

    (en noun)
  • The act by which somebody is soothed.
  • * 1823 , Charles Caleb Colton
    • There are moments when the brightest minds prefer the soothings of sympathy to all the brilliance of wit, as he that is in need of repose, selects a bed of feathers, rather than of flints.

    Anagrams

    * *

    comforting

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Giving comfort.
    • Your comforting words help ease my mind.
    It's comforting to know that I've always got my Mum when things go wrong.

    Verb

    (head)

    • Noun

    (en noun)
  • The act of giving comfort.
  • * 1836 , Alexander Slidell Mackenzie, The American in England (page 269)
    • Intrenched within the citadel of our apartment, and cheered by the comfortings of a coal fire, we passed the day in letter-writing, conversation, or gazing from the sheltered security of our windows upon the agitated sea