“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

Martin Luther King, Jr., an American Baptist minister and activist

Before we proceed to look at the meanings of the adjectives, let’s see what the nouns mean.

Comfort is a physically relaxed state, without any pain or other unpleasant feelings: 1. Learn English in the comfort of your home. 2. These contemporary designed suites /swiːts/ offer great comfort and style. 3. For your comfort, a range of services is available.

Comfort is also a style of life in which you have enough money to have everything you need: 1. She lives in comfort. 2. Now that his book has become a bestseller, he can live in comfort for the rest of his life. 

Comfort is what you feel when worries or unhappiness stop: 1. My mother was always there to offer comfort. 2. She is a source of great comfort. 3. What she said brought me great comfort.

A comfort is a person, thing or idea that brings you comfort (makes you worry less): 1. It’s a comfort talking to you. 2. Having a friend is a comfort in these tough times. 3. Her children have been a great comfort to her.

Comforts are things which make your life easier and more pleasant: 1. Electricity provides us with warmth and light and all our modern home comforts. 2. I love the comforts of domestic life. 3. I miss my home comforts when I’m away.

Convenience is the fact of being easy to use and suitable for what you want to do: 1. Many people enjoy the pleasures and convenience of living in a city center. 2. Her hair was cut short for convenience rather than fashion. 3. Occasionally we provide links to other websites for your convenience and information. So, if something is convenient, it helps you avoid wasting time or effort.

A convenience is something very useful: 1. Mail order is a convenience for buyers who are too busy to shop. 2. A second car is a convenience. 3. The kitchen is equipped with modern conveniences (pieces of equipment that make your life easier).

PHRASES

• cold comfort – something that makes a difficult situation slightly better but not much better: These figures may look good on paper but are cold comfort to the people themselves.
• comfort food – food that you enjoy very much and often eat when you are feeling sad: 1. For me, chocolate is the ultimate comfort food. 2. It looks like you could use a little bit of comfort food.
• comfort stop (British English) – a short break on a journey to allow travelers to go to the toilet: Will there be a comfort stop?
• comfort zone – a situation, place, or temperature that you feel relaxed in: 1. Stepping out of one’s comfort zone may offer significant benefits. 2. She’s pushing you outside of your comfort zone.
• creature comforts – material things that help to provide for one’s bodily comfort (modern sleeping, eating and washing facilities): They appreciate all the creature comforts of home.
• too close for comfort – if something is too close for comfort, you are worried because it is closer than you would like it to be: His mother lives in the next street to us, which is a little too close for comfort.
• at sb’s convenience (formal) – at a time that suits someone: 1. Delivery times are arranged at your convenience. 2. Can you call me at your convenience to arrange a meeting?
• convenience food – (frozen, dried or canned) food that is quick and easy to prepare: I rely too much on convenience food.
• convenience store – a small shop that is open for long hours or even 24/7 and sells a variety of goods: A convenience store is a small, local, easily accessed store which stocks staples such as bread and milk, and packaged foods.
• marriage of convenience – a marriage arranged for political or financial reasons and not for love: I may have given the impression that this was a marriage of convenience.

COMFORTABLE

Meaning	Picture	Examples
feeling physically relaxed, without any pain or other unpleasant feelings a comfortable life, job, or situation does not cause you any problems or worries when a sick or injured person is said to be comfortable, they are in a stable physical condition		I am sitting in a comfortable position. I am dreaming about a comfortable teaching job at a university. He was described as comfortable in hospital last night.
a comfortable piece of furniture feels pleasant to sit or lie on a room / building and clothes / shoes can also be comfortable		This chair is very comfortable because it’s soft. The room is comfortable because it’s pleasant to spend time in it – there is nice furniture and it’s not too hot. The shoes are comfortable because they are flat – they are perfect for walking.
rich enough to pay for everything you need		She came from a stable, comfortable, middle-class family. Is he rich? – He’s comfortable.
if you are comfortable with  / about something, you accept it or like it		Is everyone comfortable with the arrangement? I’ll talk to them, but I won’t feel comfortable about it.
easily won or making winning likely		The victory was comfortable. They should have won comfortably, but had to settle for a draw (1-1).

CONVENIENT

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Meaning	Picture	Examples
easy, very useful or suitable for a particular purpose		It’s more convenient to go there by car. Credit cards are convenient. A direct flight would be convenient.
if you describe a place as convenient, you are pleased because it is near to where you are, or because you can reach another place from there quickly and easily		I need a convenient parking place. The town is well placed for easy access to London and convenient for Heathrow Airport.
a convenient time to do something is a time when you are free to do it or would like to do it		We need to find a mutually convenient time. Would tomorrow be convenient for you?
if you describe someone’s attitudes or actions as convenient, you think they are only adopting those attitudes or performing those actions in order to avoid something difficult or unpleasant (disapproval)		What a convenient excuse! They’ve conveniently forgotten the risk of heart disease. Conveniently, he had developed amnesia /æmˈniːziə/ about that part of his life.

 

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