solicitous

IPA/səˈlɪsɪtəs/
KK[səlˈɪsətəs]IPA/səˈlɪsɪtəs/

solicitous — adjective

  • solicitouspositive
  • more solicitouscomparative
  • most solicitoussuperlative

1. very kind and attentive toward another person, paying close attention to whether

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

very kind and attentive toward another person, paying close attention to whether they feel comfortable, safe, or content.

Example

The night nurse was solicitous, checking on Maeve every hour after her operation.

describes warm, attentive care toward a patient

Christopher was always solicitous about his elderly neighbour, bringing her hot soup each winter.

solicitous about + person for whose welfare one cares

Common collocations
  • solicitous attention
  • solicitous care
  • solicitous inquiry
Synonyms
  • attentive

    neutral and common; lacks the warm, slightly fussy concern of 'solicitous'

  • caring

    plainer and more everyday; 'solicitous' is formal and stresses visible effort

  • considerate

    focuses on not causing trouble; 'solicitous' adds active checking on someone

Antonyms
  • indifferent

    shows no interest in whether someone is comfortable or well

  • neglectful

    fails to give the care or attention someone needs

Grammar Patterns

solicitous about + noun

solicitous for + noun

Usage Note

Subject is usually a person showing kindness; the object of care follows 'about' or 'for'. Often suggests attention that is warm and slightly fussy, beyond simple politeness.

Common Mistakes

He was solicitous to help me.
He was solicitous about my health.
pair 'solicitous' with 'about' or 'for' plus the person or thing cared about, not a to-infinitive.

2. filled with worry or nervous concern about a possible problem or danger.

2.adjectiveC2
Definition

filled with worry or nervous concern about a possible problem or danger.

Example

Quan grew solicitous about the exam results, refreshing the school website every few minutes.

solicitous about + a feared or uncertain outcome

The captain was solicitous about the storm clouds gathering fast over the small harbour.

worried concern about an approaching danger

Common collocations
  • solicitous about the outcome
  • solicitous concern
Synonyms
  • anxious

    plainer and far more common; 'solicitous' in this sense is formal and literary

  • apprehensive

    stresses fear of something bad ahead; close match for this sense

  • worried

    everyday word; 'solicitous' sounds more careful and formal

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

solicitous about + noun

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense centres on the speaker's own worry or fear about a risk, not on warm attention given to another person. The feeling here is closer to 'anxious' than to 'caring'.

Common Mistakes

She was solicitous that the bridge collapsed.
She was solicitous about the old bridge's safety.
express the worry with 'about' plus a noun, not with a that-clause.

Word family

  • solicitously
    adverbC2
  • solicitude
    nounC2
  • solicit
    verbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four describe paying attention to other people, but they differ in warmth and effort. 'Caring' is the plainest and most emotional: it says you feel concern, as a parent cares for a child. 'Considerate' is about not causing trouble for others — a considerate guest keeps the noise down. 'Attentive' is neutral and often professional: an attentive waiter notices when your glass is empty. 'Solicitous' is the most formal and the most visible: it pairs warm concern with active, sometimes fussy, checking — bringing soup, asking how someone slept, smoothing every small discomfort. Compare 'The doctor was attentive' (does the job well) with 'The doctor was solicitous' (goes out of the way, almost anxiously, to keep you comfortable).

solicitous ↗attentive ↗considerate ↗caring ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • solicitous attention
  • solicitous care
  • solicitous concern
  • solicitous inquiry

Adverbs

  • genuinely solicitous
  • overly solicitous
  • ever solicitous

Phrases

  • solicitous to a fault

Prepositions

  • solicitous about
  • solicitous for
  • solicitous of

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word reaches English through French from the Latin 'sollicitus', meaning 'troubled' or 'restless', which itself joined 'sollus' ('whole, entire') with a root tied to 'citus', 'set in motion'. The original idea was a mind wholly stirred up — hence both the worried, anxious sense and, later, the warmer sense of being stirred to take care of someone.