Consolation is comfort offered to someone who is disappointed, sad, or grieving. When your best friend doesn't make the soccer team, the kind words you offer are consolation. When a teacher tells a student who worked hard but didn't win the spelling bee that their effort was impressive, that's consolation too.

Consolation doesn't erase the disappointment or change what happened, but it helps ease the sting. After losing a close game, a coach might offer consolation by reminding players how much they've improved. A parent might offer consolation to a child who's sad about moving to a new town by talking about the adventures ahead.

You'll often hear about consolation prizes, which are smaller awards given to people who didn't win first place. They're a way of recognizing effort and participation even when someone didn't achieve their main goal. The prize itself is nice, but the real consolation is the message: your work mattered, you're valued, and this setback isn't the end of your story.