For the past two years, death had been prevalent. At the onset of COVID-19, some people we knew had suffered, and then months later obituaries had been posted on our notifications more often. Also, there had been disasters in between. Mourning had become, for a while, the default expression which of course, we never wanted to feel and show.
During a season of mourning, there’s one word that frequently comes out of our mouths. The word is either CONDOLENCE or CONDOLENCES. Actually, the word can be used in two ways, according to Merriam-Webster English Dictionary and Thesaurus:
- It means “sympathy with another in sorrow“. It is a noun. It looks and sounds like this in a sentence: The neighbors showed CONDOLENCE to the victims’ families of the shooting in an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
- It also means “an expression of sympathy” — usually plural. It’s still a noun. It looks and sounds like this in a sentence: She sent CONDOLENCES to her best friend’s family as soon as she heard the tragic news.
So, we don’t use CONDOLENCE to express our sympathy, but we use CONDOLENCES.
Personally, I don’t use the expression. Usually, I say “praying for you and your family” which actually means praying for provision and comfort for the family. However, the expression CONDOLENCES is what we usually say of the bereaved; also, make sure you sincerely mean it.
P.S. Thanks to Ms. Stephanie Wong, my department coordinator, for suggesting this topic.
MATTers 