solicitous

English

Etymology

From Latin sōlicitus, alternative spelling of sollicitus (“thoroughly disturbed; anxious”). See solicit.

Adjective

solicitous (comparative more solicitous, superlative most solicitous)

1. Disposed to solicit; eager to obtain something desirable, or to avoid anything evil; concerned; anxious; careful.

   Solicitous of my reputation. -John Dryden.

   He was solicitous for his advice. -Edward Hyde Clarendon.

   Enjoy the present, whatsoever it be, and be not solicitous about the future. - Jeremy Taylor.

   The colonel had been intent upon other things, and not enough solicitous to finish the fortifications. -Edward Hyde Clarendon.

2. Anxious or concerned (usually followed by about, for, etc., or a clause): solicitous about a person's health.

Derived terms

• solicitously adv
• solicitousness n

References

• solicitous in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913