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Preposition after adjective

Considerate of or considerate to?

Considerate of usually means aware of another person's needs or feelings. Considerate to describes kind behaviour toward someone.

Quick answer

Which preposition is correct with considerate?

Use considerate of for awareness of other people or circumstances. Use considerate to for behaviour directed toward someone.

Please be considerate of your neighbours.
She was always considerate to new employees.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
considerate of + person/need

Showing awareness of others

Use considerate of when thinking about another person's feelings, comfort, or situation.

Try to be considerate of other passengers.
2
considerate to + person

Describing kind treatment

Use considerate to when describing behaviour toward someone.

He has been very considerate to his elderly aunt.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
considerate of
She is considerate of her coworkers' time.
aware of other people's needs or feelings
considerate to
The nurse was considerate to every patient.
kind or thoughtful in behaviour toward someone

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using of for behaviour toward a person

When focusing on treatment of someone, to is more natural.

✕ He was considerate of me during the trip. ✓ He was considerate to me during the trip.

Using to for awareness of circumstances

Use of when referring to needs, feelings, or situations.

✕ Be considerate to the noise level. ✓ Be considerate of the noise level.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. Please be considerate ___ other people in the queue.
2. The staff were considerate ___ nervous patients.
3. She is considerate ___ her roommate's schedule.

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Frequently asked questions

Can both forms refer to people?

Yes. Considerate of stresses awareness of a person's needs, while considerate to stresses kind treatment.

Is considerate towards also possible?

Yes, considerate towards someone is used in British English, but considerate to is more common.

Can I say considerate about?

No. Considerate about is not a standard pattern for this meaning.

calm, in, calm, for, calm, about "candid about" or "candid in"? capable of or in? careful about, with, of, in or on? careless about, with, in, of or on? caribbean in, for, with, to or on? "catastrophic for" or "catastrophic to"? "cautious about" or "cautious in"? celtic in, for, on, at or to? central to, in, for, at or of? "certain of" or "certain about"? "challenging for" or "challenging of"?

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