condolences

English

Etymology

From Latin condoleo (“I feel another's pain”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kənˈdoʊlənsəz/, /ˈkɒndələnsəz/

• Audio (plural, US)

  (file)

Noun

condolences

1. plural of condolence

Noun

condolences pl (plural only)

1. comfort, support, or sympathy offered to the family and friends of somebody who has died

   I sent her a card expressing my condolences after her mother passed away.

Translations

sympathy — See also translations at condolence

• Berber:

  Tashelhit: afcad m (afshad)

• Dutch: innige deelneming

• Finnish: osanotto (fi)
• Hungarian: részvét (hu)
• Polish: kondolencje (pl) f pl

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Slovene: ^{(please verify)} sožalje n

See also

• condolence

Interjection

condolences

1. Expressing perfunctory or jocular condolence wishes.
   • 1992, Martin Cruz Smith, Red Square, page 120:

     "What were you doing at the cemetery?" / "Burying my father." / "Oh." Rodionov grunted as if he had expected a more imaginative excuse. "Condolences."

   • 2008 July 15, NPR, “When Does It Go Too Far?”, in Talk of the Nation:

     Let's get another caller on the line. This is Camille. Camille with us from Visalia in California. / Visalia, California that's correct. / Go ahead please. / Hi. I'm an African-American woman and when I first saw the cover - let me preface this. I'm in central California, which is very conservative. And... / Condolences.

Translations

funeral expression

• Basque: dolumin
• Esperanto: kondolencon, kondolencojn pl
• Finnish: otan osaa
• French: mes condoléances, toutes mes condoléances

• Greek: συλλυπητήρια (el) n pl (syllypitíria), ζωή σε σας (zoḯ se sas)
• Spanish: pésame (es) m

Antonyms

• congratulations