"with relief" vs "in relief"

[Brian G Turner]

I'm sure I've seen both versions applied before now:

Bob smiled with relief.
Bob smiled in relief.

However, I'm not sure what the actual technical difference is.

Anyone care to enlighten me?

 

[prizzley]

I have these moments and the more I think about the issue the more incapable I am of making a decision. My instinctive reaction here is that there's no difference. Personally, I'd use in relief.

You could make it more telly e.g. Bob let out the breath he had been holding. 'Phew." He smiled.

 

[The Judge]

As far as I'm aware, there is no real difference. Certainly I'd use them both, though personally I lean more to "with" than "in". I've checked a couple of good dictionaries and a style book and they're all silent on the issue. If it's bugging you, though, use the verb: "Relieved, Bob smiled."

NB If you're ever talking of carvings, which would be always in relief, of course.

 

[Hex]

"With" is the one I'd use (partly because of the carving issue). Just to try to keep up with TJ (or, well, follow in her slipstream) I had a look at Google ngrams and according to it, "he smiled with relief" is the more common usage (except for 1908-1923 when, for some reason, it wasn't).

 

[farntfar]

I have to say I'd go with "in". (With the similar proviso the Bob isn't particularly thin lipped)
I think both are correct, but I find "with relief" clumsy, somehow.

 

[Ray McCarthy]

I vote for "with relief" c.f. "with joy", "with happiness", "with excitement" though "in grief", "in sadness", "in memorandum"
But "he felt relieved" etc ...

 

[tinkerdan]

There seems to be an idiom "to stand out in relief."

Though the way you are using it would be self explanatory, you could boggle it up with a bit more in front and come out the other side differently.

Among the many sad people he smiled in relief.

Among the many sad people he smiled with relief.

 

[Ray McCarthy]

There seems to be an idiom "to stand out in relief."

I always thought the 3D / carving connotation than the emotion

 

[mosaix]

"With" is the one I'd use (partly because of the carving issue).

And me.

 

[J Riff]

With, carve that in stone. )

 

[tinkerdan]

What a relief that would make-carved in stone.

With, carve that in stone. )

 

[TheDustyZebra]

I would use "with", but I probably wouldn't comment on "in" if I were copy-editing someone who used that.