comfort / consolation
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comfort
Encouragement and reassurance for someone who is sad, disappointed, or suffering, in order to ease their emotional pain.
Ihre Anwesenheit und ihre mitfühlenden Worte waren ein großer Trost für die Familie.
Her presence and her compassionate words were a great comfort to the family.
small consolation
A circumstance that provides only slight or insufficient relief in a negative situation.
Dass auch andere durch die Prüfung gefallen sind, ist nur ein schwacher Trost.
The fact that others also failed the exam is only small consolation.
'Der Trost' (comfort/consolation) belongs to the word family of 'trösten' (to comfort someone) and 'trostlos' (without comfort, very sad). If you see a person who is sad, you can try to comfort them.
Er versuchte, das weinende Kind zu trösten.
He tried to comfort the crying child.
'Trost' is usually combined with two verbs: you can 'Trost spenden' (to give comfort) to someone, or 'Trost finden' (to find comfort) in a difficult situation.
Seine Worte spendeten ihr Trost in der schweren Zeit.
His words gave her comfort during the difficult time.
The expression 'ein schwacher Trost' (small consolation) is very common. It describes a small positive aspect in an otherwise bad situation, but one that does not really help.
Die Versicherung zahlt, aber das ist nur ein schwacher Trost für das abgebrannte Haus.
The insurance will pay, but that is only small consolation for the burned-down house.
approval / support
Trost and Zuspruch can both consist of encouraging words for someone who is sad or disappointed. Zuspruch refers more to the encouraging words themselves, while Trost focuses more on easing the person's sorrow. Use Zuspruch for the words and Trost for their comforting effect.
Nach der enttäuschenden Nachricht fand sie im Trost ihrer Freunde wieder etwas Ruhe.
After the disappointing news, she found some peace in the comfort of her friends.
Nach der enttäuschenden Nachricht gab ihr der Zuspruch ihrer Freunde neuen Mut.
After the disappointing news, her friends' encouragement gave her new courage.
