hearten

verb

heart·​en ˈhär-tᵊn How to pronounce hearten (audio)
heartened; heartening ˈhär-tᵊn-iŋ How to pronounce hearten (audio)
ˈhärt-niŋ
Synonyms of heartennext

transitive verb

: to give heart to : cheer
a victory that heartened the fans
hearteningly
ˈhär-tᵊn-iŋ-lē How to pronounce hearten (audio)
ˈhärt-niŋ-
adverb

Synonyms of hearten

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encourage, inspirit, hearten, embolden mean to fill with courage or strength of purpose.

encourage suggests the raising of one's confidence especially by an external agency.

the teacher's praise encouraged the students to greater efforts

inspirit, somewhat literary, implies instilling life, energy, courage, or vigor into something.

patriots inspirited the people to resist

hearten implies the lifting of dispiritedness or despondency by an infusion of fresh courage or zeal.

a hospital patient heartened by good news

embolden implies the giving of courage sufficient to overcome timidity or reluctance.

emboldened by her first success, she tried an even more difficult climb

Examples of hearten in a Sentence

The team's victory has heartened its fans. thinking we were hopelessly lost, we were heartened by the sight of a familiar farmhouse
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
All of the art is heartening—and very much at home. — Andy Battaglia, ARTnews.com, 18 June 2026 Again, something that should hearten the bulls. — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 19 Apr. 2026 Block said advocates for trans teenagers were heartened by the narrowness of the decision. — Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 30 June 2026 Danielson was only slightly heartened to note that LaSota was not arrested in connection with the attack on Lind. — Tessa Stuart, Rolling Stone, 23 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hearten

Word History

First Known Use

1524, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hearten was in 1524

Rhymes for hearten

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Browse Nearby Words

heartedness
hearten
heart failure
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hearten.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hearten. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

hearten

verb
heart·​en ˈhärt-ᵊn How to pronounce hearten (audio)
heartened; heartening ˈhärt-niŋ How to pronounce hearten (audio)
-ᵊn-iŋ
: to cheer up : encourage

More from Merriam-Webster on hearten

Nglish: Translation of hearten for Spanish Speakers

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