100+ Heartfelt Condolence Messages To Write In A Card

Finding the right words for a condolence card feels impossible when you are staring at a blank space and someone you care about is in the middle of real grief. You do not want to say something hollow. You do not want to make it about you. And you definitely do not want to just write “thinking of you” and leave it at that, because you know the person deserves more than three words they have already read in thirty other cards.

A condolence card does one specific thing: it says to the person grieving that their loss has been seen and acknowledged by someone who cares. That is it. It does not need to fix anything or explain anything or make the grief smaller. It just needs to be real and it needs to show up.

These messages are written to be used directly or to get you close enough to write your own version. They cover every relationship and situation — formal condolences for someone you do not know well, deeply personal ones for your closest people, messages for sudden loss, for expected loss, for flowers, for coworkers, for online posts. Find the one that sounds closest to something you would say out loud and go from there.

If you also need messages for a sympathy card, this full list of sympathy card messages for every kind of loss covers that ground completely. And for other hard moments that need the right words, these heartfelt quotes that say what you cannot are worth bookmarking.

Table of Contents

Short Condolence Card Messages

For when you want to say something genuine without overthinking the length. Sometimes a few honest lines land harder than a paragraph.

My deepest condolences to you and your family. Thinking of you all.

I am so sorry for your loss. Wishing you peace in the days ahead.
With sincere condolences on the passing of your loved one.
My heart is with you and your family right now.

Sending love and condolences to everyone who loved them.
There are no words that cover a loss like this. Just know I am thinking of you.
My condolences to you and your whole family.
So sorry for the loss of your loved one. Thinking of you every day.
Wishing you moments of peace between the hard ones.
They were so loved. And you are too. My condolences.

No words feel right. Just know I am here and I care deeply.
With love and condolences. I am so sorry for your loss.
Sending every bit of warmth and strength I have your way right now.

My sincerest condolences. Please reach out if there is anything I can do.
Thinking of you and your family with so much love and sorrow.
I am so sorry. Not just today. I will be thinking of you for a long time after this.

Please accept my deepest condolences. I am here for whatever you need.
Grieving with you, even from a distance. Sending so much love.
My condolences on the loss of someone so clearly loved.

With heavy heart and deep love, my condolences to your family.
Wishing you the presence of people who love you in the hardest moments ahead.
My thoughts are with you and will stay with you through this.

So sorry for this loss. You and your family are in my heart.
I am holding you in my thoughts and sending every good thing I have your way.
Rest assured you are not going through this alone. I am here.

Heartfelt Condolence Card Messages

For when you want to go deeper. For the people close enough to deserve something more than the standard phrases.

I keep thinking about what you must be going through and I want you to know that my love for you does not know how to be quiet right now. My deepest condolences. I am here for all of it.

The loss of someone you love this much leaves a mark on every ordinary day after. I am so sorry. I am not going anywhere, and I mean that in the most practical sense possible.
They were someone who mattered. Not just to you, but to everyone who ever spent real time around them. The world is noticeably different without them in it and I am so sorry you are facing that.
Grief has no schedule and no right way. Whatever this looks like for you, on any given day, I am here for it without judgment. My sincerest condolences to you and your whole family.

I wish I had the words that actually helped. I do not. What I have instead is a real willingness to show up for you for as long as this takes, which is longer than most people remember to check in. I will not forget.
You loved them so well. Anyone who witnessed the two of you together could see that plainly. That kind of love is a legacy that does not go away when a person does.
There is a specific heaviness to losing someone before you were ready. I am not going to pretend there is a good version of this. I am just deeply sorry and I am in your corner.

Please let yourself be taken care of right now. You spend so much of your time caring for everyone else. The people who love you want to carry some of this with you.
I have been thinking about you every single day since I heard. Not in a passing way. In a sit-with-it way. My condolences to you and everyone who is hurting alongside you.
The memories you made with them are entirely yours now. I hope they bring more comfort than pain in time, and I hope the time between now and then is full of people who love you well.

There is no fixing this kind of loss. There is only being here for it. I want you to know I plan to be here for a very long time after the flowers and the casseroles and the cards have stopped coming.
The way you speak about them has always made it obvious how much they meant to you. That love is real and lasting and no amount of grief can undo what you built together.
My condolences feel small against what you are carrying. I offer them anyway, along with everything else I have: time, presence, a willingness to listen, whatever you need and whenever you need it.

Losing someone who was woven into the fabric of your daily life is a different kind of loss. The ordinary moments are the hardest. I will be thinking of you through all of those too.
Please know that your grief is not an inconvenience to the people who love you. Let them in. Let them bring food and sit with you in the quiet and say the person’s name out loud. That is what they are there for.

Formal Condolence Card Messages

For professional relationships, acquaintances, or situations where you want to express sincere condolences with appropriate distance.

Please accept my sincere condolences on the passing of your loved one. My thoughts are with you and your family during this difficult time.
I was deeply saddened to learn of your loss. On behalf of myself and our team, please accept our heartfelt condolences.

With deepest sympathy on the passing of your loved one. Wishing you strength and peace in the days ahead.
Please know that you and your family are in our thoughts. We extend our most sincere condolences.
I wanted to reach out to express my condolences on your loss. I hope you feel surrounded by the support of those who care for you.

On behalf of everyone here, please accept our sincerest condolences. We are thinking of you and your family.
Your loss has touched all of us who know you. Please accept this expression of our deepest sympathy.
I was saddened to hear of your loss and want to extend my most heartfelt condolences to you and your family.

With sympathies on the passing of your loved one. May you find comfort in the support of those around you.
Please accept our condolences during this difficult time. We are thinking of you and hope the days ahead bring some measure of peace.
It is with a heavy heart that I extend my condolences to you and your family on this loss.

My thoughts are with you as you navigate this painful time. Please do not hesitate to reach out if there is anything I can do to help.

Condolence Card Messages for a Coworker

For a colleague experiencing loss — warm enough to feel human, measured enough to respect professional boundaries.

I heard about your loss and I wanted you to know that the whole team is thinking of you. Please take all the time you need. Everything here will be handled.
My sincere condolences on your loss. You are a valued colleague and more importantly a person we all care about. We are here for you.
Please do not think about work right now. Your family needs you and we need you to take care of yourself. My deepest condolences.

We may not always say it enough, but this team genuinely cares about you. My condolences on your loss and please let any of us know how we can support you.
Sending condolences to you and your family. I hope you feel held up by the people around you, including all of us here.
I was so sorry to hear about your loss. Please know that my thoughts are with you and that I am here if you need anything at all, work-related or otherwise.

Your colleagues are all thinking of you. We send our deepest condolences and our full support as you take the time you need.
On behalf of everyone on the team, I want to express our sincere condolences. You are not alone in this, even from a distance.
We care about you far beyond the work we do together. My condolences on your loss. Take whatever time you need and please reach out.

I did not want to let this pass without saying something directly to you. I am so sorry for your loss. You have my full support in every capacity.

Condolence Card Messages for Sudden or Unexpected Loss

When the loss was sudden, the shock is part of the grief. These messages try to acknowledge that honestly.

There is no way to prepare for news like this. I am so deeply sorry. I am here in whatever way you need me, starting right now.
Sudden loss does not give you any time to brace for it. You are just in it. I am so sorry for what you are going through and I am not going anywhere.
I keep trying to find the right thing to say and nothing feels adequate for a loss this sudden. Just know I love you and I am here.

The shock of losing someone this unexpectedly is its own kind of pain on top of everything else. My deepest condolences. Please let the people who love you take care of you right now.
You did not get to say goodbye the way you deserved to. That is a real and specific kind of grief and I am so sorry you are carrying it.
There are no words for a loss this sudden. There is only love, and I have a lot of it to send your way right now.

I am still processing the news myself. I cannot imagine what it is like for you. My condolences are deep and genuine and I am here for however long this takes.
Unexpected losses leave questions that do not have answers. I am not going to try to answer them. I am just going to be here, quietly and consistently, for as long as you need.
You are allowed to be in shock. You are allowed to not be okay. You are allowed to need a lot of help right now. Please ask for it. We are all here.

My heart broke when I heard. I am so sorry for the sudden loss of someone so loved. Please take care of yourself and let others take care of you too.

Condolence Card Messages for an Expected Loss

When the loss was anticipated, the grief is no less real. These messages acknowledge that without assuming it should hurt any less.

Knowing it was coming does not make the moment any easier. I am so sorry for your loss and I am here for all the grief that follows.
There is no version of losing someone that does not hurt. I am so sorry. My condolences to you and your whole family.
You were there for them all the way through. That is one of the most loving things a person can do and I hope you feel proud of how you showed up for them.

The anticipation of loss and the reality of it are two very different things. I am so sorry you are now in the reality. I am here.
You gave them everything they needed in their final chapter and that matters more than words can say. My deepest condolences on their passing.
I know you have been carrying this for a long time. The relief and the grief can both be true at once. There is no wrong way to feel right now.

Thank you for loving them so well through all of it. My condolences to you and your family as you settle into a new kind of quiet.
You were so strong for so long. You do not have to be strong right now. Please let people take care of you for a while.
Their passing was peaceful and surrounded by love because of you. My condolences, and my deep admiration for everything you gave them.

Grief after a long illness has its own particular weight. I am here for all of it, without timeline or expectation.

Condolence Messages for Flowers or Donations

For the card that goes with flowers, a meal, a donation, or a gift. These pair a gesture with words that make it feel personal.

Sending these flowers with love and with my deepest condolences. I hope they bring a small moment of warmth into a hard week.
I made a donation in their memory to a cause I know mattered to them. My condolences to you and your family.
These flowers are a small way of saying I am thinking of you every day. My deepest condolences on your loss.

I brought this meal because I want to take one thing off your plate, literally and otherwise. My love and condolences are with you.
In memory of someone so loved, I have made a donation in their name. May it be a small comfort to know their memory is being honored.
Sending these flowers because I wanted you to have something living and bright in your home right now. With love and condolences.

This gift is small but the love behind it is not. My deepest condolences to you and your whole family.
I made a donation to a cause they cared about because I wanted their name to keep doing good in the world. My condolences.
Bringing this food because I want to help in the most practical way I can right now. Eat something. My condolences and my love.

These flowers are from all of us. We are thinking of you and your family with so much love and sorrow.

Condolence Messages for Text or Social Media

For when you are not sending a card but still want to say something real. Short enough for a text, honest enough to actually matter.

I just heard and I wanted you to know I am thinking of you. Please let me know if there is anything at all I can do.
I am so sorry for your loss. No pressure to respond. Just know I am here whenever you need.
Sending you so much love right now. I am here. Always.

My heart is with you today and in all the days ahead. I am so sorry.
I saw your post and I did not want to scroll past without saying something. I am so deeply sorry for your loss.
Thinking of you and your family. Please do not hesitate to reach out. Day or night, I mean it.

I am so sorry for the loss of your loved one. Sending love and wishing you strength.
Just wanted you to know you are not alone in this, even from a distance. My condolences.
I have been thinking about you since I heard. No reply needed, just know that I care.

Sending you the biggest hug through this screen. I am so sorry. I love you.
My condolences on your loss. I hope you feel surrounded by love today and in every hard day after.
I read your post and I have been carrying it with me all day. I am so sorry. I am here whenever you want to talk.

Religious Condolence Card Messages

For the person whose faith is the lens through which they process loss. These honor that without being hollow.

May God wrap your family in comfort and peace during this time of grief. My deepest condolences on your loss.

I am praying for you and your family by name. May the Lord carry you through every hard day ahead.
They are in God’s hands now, at rest and at peace. May that bring some comfort to you and your family.
May the Lord’s presence be felt in every quiet moment and every wave of grief. I am praying for you.

With faith and love, I pray for peace and healing for your whole family. My deepest condolences.
God holds those we cannot hold anymore. I pray you feel that truth in the days and weeks ahead.
I am lifting you and your family up in prayer. May you feel surrounded by God’s grace even in the middle of this pain.

They lived a life of love and now they are home. My prayers are with you as you grieve.
May the peace that passes all understanding guard your heart right now. I am praying for your family.
With prayers and condolences, I trust that God is close to the brokenhearted. May you feel that closeness every day.

I cannot be with you in person but I am with you in prayer, every single day. My condolences and my faith are both fully with you.
May the memories of the life they lived in love and in faith bring you comfort alongside the grief.

Condolence Card Messages for the Loss of an Elderly Person

For the grandparent, the great-aunt, the family elder — a loss that still hurts even when a long life was lived.

A long life well lived is something to celebrate even as you grieve. My condolences on the loss of someone who clearly made a difference.
They lived a full and meaningful life, and so much of that was because of the love they gave and received from you. My deepest condolences.

A long life does not make the loss smaller. My sincerest condolences to you and your whole family.
They left behind an incredible legacy in the people who loved them. My condolences on the passing of such a wonderful person.
The elders in a family carry so much history and love. Losing one leaves a space that nothing else fills the same way. I am so sorry.

They were loved by so many for so long. My condolences to your entire family as you grieve together.
The memories they made with you and your family will live on for generations. What a life. My deepest condolences.
I am so sorry for the loss of your grandparent. Even when a loss is expected, it still asks something enormous of the people left behind.

They are reunited now with the people who went before them. I hope that brings you some small comfort alongside all the sadness. My condolences.
Age does not make grief easier. I am so sorry for your loss and I am thinking of your entire family.

Long Condolence Card Messages

For the people you are close enough to that a few lines feel inadequate. For when you want to give them something they can come back to.

I have been thinking about what to write in this card for days and nothing I put down felt like enough. That is because there is no version of words that is enough for a loss this real. What I can tell you is this: I love you, I am not going anywhere, and I will still be checking in on you when everyone else has moved on. Grief does not work on a schedule and neither does my care for you.
When I heard about your loss, my first thought was of you, and my second thought was of all the ways I want to be there for you in the weeks and months ahead, not just today. I know this is the easy part, when people are around and the cards are arriving and the food is being brought. It is the ordinary Tuesday three months from now that I want you to know I will still be thinking about you. I mean that and I will prove it.

Losing someone you love this deeply is like losing a whole part of the world that only the two of you shared. All those inside jokes and private memories and ways they knew you that nobody else quite does. I am so sorry for that specific loss, on top of all the other layers of it. Please let yourself grieve every single one of them, in whatever order they come.
I do not know exactly what they meant to you in all the private ways that matter most. But I saw how you were around them, and that told me everything. The kind of love you had for each other is not common. I am so sorry it has changed form. My condolences, deep and real, to you and everyone who shared that love.
There is something about grief that makes you feel very alone even when a room is full of people. I want you to know that in those moments of quiet loneliness, I am genuinely thinking about you. I am not saying that the way people say it. I mean that I will pick up the phone if you call me at any hour. I mean that I will come over if you need company. I mean that I will say their name out loud with you if you want to talk about them. Whatever you need, I am here for it.

Writing a condolence card will never feel easy. That discomfort is actually a sign that you are taking it seriously, that you understand what the person is going through is real and weighty and deserves more than a quick fill-in-the-blank. The fact that you looked for the right words rather than writing something thoughtless says a lot about who you are.

Use whatever you found here. Change a word or two to make it sound like you. Write it in your own handwriting on the actual card. That is what matters. A condolence card received by someone in genuine grief is one of the simplest and most lasting ways to say: I see you, I see your loss, and I am not going to pretend it is not happening.

Save this page now so you have it when you need it. Loss tends to arrive without warning. For more words for difficult moments, check out these moody captions for the days when grief just sits there and you let it, these self-care captions for being gentle with yourself through the hard parts, and these spiritual captions for the faith that carries you when nothing else can.