Solicitous
adj ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 Disposed to solicit; eager to obtain something desirable, or to avoid anything evil.
"To that end, the then Biſhop of London, Dʳ Laud, attended on his Majeſty throughout that whole journey[…]to accompliſh which he was no leſs ſollicitous than the King himſelf, nor the King the leſs ſollicitous for his Advice."
- 2 Showing care, concern, or attention, in any of several ways; thus:; In a conscientious way, often with kindness. usually
"solicitous about a person's health"
- 3 Showing care, concern, or attention, in any of several ways; thus:; In an eager way. usually
- 4 Showing care, concern, or attention, in any of several ways; thus:; In an anxious or distressed way. usually
"Enjoy the preſent whatſoever it be, and be not ſollicitous for the future : for if you take your foot from the preſent ſtanding, and thruſt it forward toward to morrow’s even, you are in a reſtleſs condition, it is like refuſing to quench your preſent thirſt by fearing you ſhall want to drink the next day."
- 1 showing hovering attentiveness wordnet
- 2 full of anxiety and concern wordnet
Example
More examples"To that end, the then Biſhop of London, Dʳ Laud, attended on his Majeſty throughout that whole journey[…]to accompliſh which he was no leſs ſollicitous than the King himſelf, nor the King the leſs ſollicitous for his Advice."
Etymology
From Latin sōlicitus, sollicitus (“thoroughly disturbed, anxious”), from sollus (“whole, entire”) + cieō (“move, disturb”). By surface analysis, solicit + -ous.
More for "solicitous"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.