Solicitous means showing attentive care or concern, often to an attentive or even eager degree. It describes someone who is eager to help, worryingly proactive, or solicitously watchful, especially in matters of health, safety, or welfare. The term carries a sense of genuine concern blended with proactive consideration, sometimes implying overcare or fretfulness.
"She was solicitous about the guests’ comfort, checking that everyone had a seat and a drink."
"The doctor’s solicitous manner reassured the anxious family during the procedure."
"He gave a solicitous look as he asked if you were feeling well after the long trip."
"Her solicitous notes showed she genuinely cared about the students’ progress and wellbeing."
Solicitous derives from the Latin solicitus, meaning 'acquired by effort, eager, solicitous'. It combines solit- from sollicitus (asked, urged) with the suffix -ous, yielding a sense of being full of solicitude. The root sollic-, from sollicitu, relates to soliciting or asking for something earnestly. In Classical Latin, solicitus described someone who is anxious or careful, especially in service or care for others. The word entered English via Late Middle English, retaining nuances of eager concern and careful attention. Over the centuries, solicitous broadened to describe persons who are highly attentive to the needs or welfare of others, sometimes with a hint of overbearing or overly meticulous care. In modern usage, it remains common in formal or literary contexts, frequently appearing in medical, caregiving, or polite social discourse. The evolution traces from a concrete sense of urging or requesting to a more personal attribute of care and attentiveness, preserving a hint of emotional investment in others’ well-being.
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Words that rhyme with "Solicitous"
-ous sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Pronounced sah-LIH-si-tuhs (US) or suh-LIH-sih-tuhs (UK/AU). The primary stress is on the second syllable: /ˌsɒlɪˈsɪtəs/ or /ˌsəˈlɪsɪtəs/ depending on speaker. Break it into syllables: so-LI-ti-tous, with the 'li' as a short, quick vowel and the 'ous' ending pronounced as /əs/. Mouth posture: start with a light schwa in the first syllable, tighten the mid-vocalics on -LI-, and finish with a soft, unstressed -təs. Practice with sentence: The nurse was soLI-tous in checking vitals; her care was reassuring.
Common errors: 1) Placing the stress on the first syllable (so-LI-tious instead of so-li-**LI**-tous). 2) Slurring the -ti- so it sounds like -si- or -tus; keep a short, crisp -ti- syllable. 3) Muddling the final -ous to -us or -ous with a visible /z/ or /s/ instead of /təs/. Correction: emphasize the second syllable with a clear /ˈlɪ/ and finish with /təs/. Practice reading aloud slowly, then speed up while keeping the -təs unreleased.” ,
Across US/UK/AU, the pronunciation remains fundamentally the same with minor vowel shifts. US often has /ˌsəˈlɪsɪtəs/ or /ˌsɒlɪˈsɪtəs/ depending on regional rhoticity, with a slightly weaker first syllable. UK and AU typically render it /ˌsəˈlɪsɪtəs/, keeping a non-rhotic vowel quality in the first syllable. The key differences are the vowel quality in the stressed -LI- and the non-rhotic or rhotic influence depending on the speaker. IPA anchors: US /ˌsəˈlɪsɪtəs/, UK/AU /ˌsəˈlɪsɪtəs/ (with subtle /ɪ/ vs /ɒ/ shifts regionally).
The difficulty lies in the unstressed first syllable and the mid-central vowels in -li- and -tous. The sequence -li- requires a crisp, quick articulation with a short /ɪ/ as in 'sit', not a long vowel. The final -tous is pronounced as /təs/, which can be reduced in casual speech to /təs/ or /təs/ without a full syllabic release. Mastery requires keeping stress on the second syllable and ensuring the /t/ is clear in the coda before the finally unstressed /əs/.
A unique consideration is the subtle contrast between the second syllable’s /ɪ/ as in 'kit' and the trailing /təs/. Some speakers lightly vocalize the -ti- segment, causing it to resemble -sɪ-; aim for a short, crisp /ˈlɪsɪ/ rather than a drawn-out /lɪsiː/. Also, ensure the final /təs/ is not slurred into /təs/ or /təs/—keep a distinct coda. This helps maintain the articulate, attentive connotation of the word.
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