com ‧ fort ‧ a ‧ ble S2 W3 /ˈkʌmftəb ə l, ˈkʌmfət- $ ˈkʌmfərt-, ˈkʌmft-/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ comfort , ↑ discomfort , ↑ comforter ; adverb : ↑ comfortably ≠ ↑ uncomfortably , ↑ comfortingly ; adjective : ↑ comfortable ≠ ↑ uncomfortable , ↑ comforting ; verb : ↑ comfort ]
1 . FURNITURE/PLACES/CLOTHES ETC making you feel physically relaxed, without any pain or without being too hot, cold etc ⇨ comfort
comfortable chair/bed/sofa etc
The bed wasn’t particularly comfortable.
comfortable room/lounge/hotel etc
Joyce has a comfortable apartment in Portland.
comfortable clothes/shoes/boots etc
Wear loose comfortable clothing.
comfortable to wear/use/sit on etc
Linen is very comfortable to wear.
2 . PHYSICALLY RELAXED feeling physically relaxed, without any pain or without being too hot, cold etc ⇨ comfort :
I was so comfortable and warm in bed I didn’t want to get up.
Sit down and make yourself comfortable.
With difficulty, she rolled her body into a more comfortable position.
3 . CONFIDENT [not before noun] confident, relaxed, and not worried
comfortable with
She’s never felt very comfortable with men.
In our business, we need people who are comfortable in an unstructured environment.
4 . MONEY having enough money to buy the things you need or want, without having to worry about how much they cost
comfortable life/retirement/existence etc
Jean’s looking forward to a comfortable retirement.
5 . COMPETITION/VOTE [usually before noun] if you have a comfortable win or lead, you win or are leading by a large amount
comfortable win/victory
The pair had a comfortable win, beating the German team by nearly three seconds.
The bill should pass in the House by a comfortable margin.
Another penalty from Roberts gave the home team a comfortable half-time lead.
6 . ILL/INJURED [not before noun] if someone who is ill or injured is comfortable, they are not in too much pain
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ nouns
▪ chair/bed/sofa etc
Is that chair comfortable?
▪ bedroom/lounge etc
The bedroom was large and comfortable with a view of the river.
▪ home/hotel/apartment etc
This is a friendly and comfortable hotel.
▪ comfortable clothes/shoes/boots etc
You’ll need comfortable shoes for walking around the city.
▪ a comfortable position
When driving, make sure you are seated in a comfortable position.
▪ comfortable surroundings (=comfortable things around you)
Relax in the comfortable surroundings of the hotel.
■ phrases
▪ comfortable to wear/use/ride etc
My bike isn’t very comfortable to ride.
▪ warm and comfortable
The house is warm and comfortable even in winter.
■ verbs
▪ feel comfortable
You’ll probably feel most comfortable wearing cotton clothes.
▪ look comfortable
That sofa looks wonderfully comfortable.
▪ make something comfortable
There are lots of ways you can make your home more comfortable to live in.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ comfortable making you feel physically relaxed, and not too hard, hot, cold etc. Also used about people feeling physically relaxed:
The hotel was very comfortable.
|
I tried to get into a more comfortable position.
▪ comfy informal comfortable – used especially about furniture and clothes:
a comfy armchair
|
These shoes are very comfy.
|
Are you comfy?
▪ cosy British English , cozy American English comfortable and warm – used especially about small rooms, houses etc:
There’s a cosy lounge with a real fire.
|
a cozy apartment
▪ snug small, warm, and comfortable, especially in a way that makes you feel protected – used especially about rooms, houses etc. Also used about people feeling warm and comfortable:
It was very cold outside, but our tents were snug and warm.
|
She wished she was back in her snug little house.
|
I’m snug as a rug in here! (=very snug – an informal use BrE)
▪ smooth a smooth journey is comfortable because your car or plane does not shake, or the sea is not rough:
Did you have a smooth flight?
|
a smooth crossing
■ COLLOCATIONS CHECK
▪ comfortable chair/bed/house/position/person
▪ comfy chair/clothes/person
▪ cosy room/house/fire
▪ snug room/house/person
▪ smooth journey/crossing/flight