soothe

Compared meaning: to make someone feel less worried or sad (verb).

比较义项：安慰、使某人不再那么担忧或难过（动词）。

• comfort

  The most common, everyday word; comforting someone who feels sad, scared, or worried, often through a physical gesture like a hug.

  是最常见、最日常的用词；安慰感到伤心、害怕或担忧的人，常伴有拥抱等身体动作。

  He put his arm around her to comfort her after the difficult phone call.

  那通艰难的电话之后，他伸出手臂搂着她安慰她。

• soothe 本词

  Focuses on calming someone who is crying, in pain, or anxious, often with gentle sound or touch, rather than specifically comforting sadness.

  重点在于让哭闹、疼痛或紧张不安的人平静下来，常通过温柔的声音或抚触，而不一定是针对悲伤本身。

  She sang softly to soothe the crying baby to sleep.

  她轻声唱歌，哄啼哭的婴儿平静入睡。

• console

  More formal; specifically used for comforting someone after a loss, disappointment, or failure, often described in the third person.

  语气更正式；专指在某人遭遇丧失、失望或失败之后安慰对方，常见于第三人称的叙述。

  He tried to console his friend after she lost the match.

  朋友输掉比赛后，他试图安慰她。

• solace

  A formal, literary word; rare as a verb (more common as a noun, as in "find solace"), used for giving comfort in grief or hardship.

  是正式、文学化的用词；作动词使用很少见（更常以名词形式出现，如“find solace”），指在悲伤或困境中给予安慰。

  The elderly widow was solaced by the visits from her grandchildren every Sunday.

  每个星期天孙辈的探望都能抚慰这位年迈的寡妇。

All four mean to comfort someone. Comfort is the most common, for someone sad, scared, or worried. Soothe focuses on calming someone crying, in pain, or anxious. Console is more formal, for comforting after a loss or failure. Solace is rare, mostly literary.

这四个词在“安慰某人”这一意义上很接近，但语气和适用场合不同：comfort 最通用、最口语化；soothe 更强调让哭闹、疼痛或紧张的人平静下来，不一定涉及悲伤；console 语气较正式，专用于安慰遭遇失落或失望的人；solace 作动词很少见，多用于书面或文学语境。