Comfortable Definition & Meaning

American

British

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms comfortable American [kuhmf-ter-buhl, kuhm-fer-tuh-buhl] / ˈkʌmf tər bəl, ˈkʌm fər tə bəl /

adjective

1. (of clothing, furniture, etc.) producing or affording physical comfort, support, or ease.

   a comfortable chair;

   comfortable shoes.

2. being in a state of physical or mental comfort; contented and undisturbed; at ease.

   to be comfortable in new shoes;

   I don't feel comfortable in the same room with her.

3. (of a person, situation, etc.) producing mental comfort or ease; easy to accommodate oneself to or associate with.

   She's a comfortable person to be with.

4. more than adequate or sufficient.

   a comfortable salary.

5. Obsolete. cheerful.

noun

1. Chiefly Northern U.S. a quilted bedcover; comforter.

comfortable British / ˈkʌmfətəbəl, ˈkʌmftəbəl /

adjective

1. giving comfort or physical relief

2. at ease

3. free from affliction or pain

4. (of a person or situation) relaxing

5. informal having adequate income

6. informal (of income) adequate to provide comfort

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

• comfortability noun
• comfortableness noun
• comfortably adverb
• quasi-comfortable adjective
• quasi-comfortably adverb
• supercomfortable adjective

Etymology

Origin of comfortable

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Anglo-French word confortable. See comfort, -able

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Patrick Arnzen, a former airline pilot who’s now chief executive of Thrust Flight, a pilot school, says being comfortable on a flight isn’t a bad idea from a health standpoint.

From MarketWatch

The company is also comfortable with the supply it has to fulfill its revenue guidance.

From MarketWatch

Patrick Arnzen, a former airline pilot who’s now chief executive of Thrust Flight, a pilot school, says being comfortable on a flight isn’t a bad idea from a health standpoint.

From MarketWatch

These men were so famous, they even felt comfortable interrupting the dead, who may have answered differently.

From Literature

Everything was so orchestrated perfectly to make the actor feel the most comfortable to try different things, and it’s just not always the case.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• appropriate
• complacent
• convenient
• cozy
• easy
• enjoyable
• happy
• healthy
• loose
• pleasant
• pleased
• relaxed
• satisfying
• serene
• snug
• soft
• useful
• warm

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.