ENCOURAGE Synonyms: 201 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'encourage' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of encourage are embolden , hearten , and inspirit . While all these words 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

Q: When might 'embolden' be a better fit than 'encourage'?

While the synonyms embolden and encourage are close in meaning, embolden implies the giving of courage sufficient to overcome timidity or reluctance. // emboldened by her first success, she tried an even more difficult climb

Q: When is 'hearten' a more appropriate choice than 'encourage'?

The words hearten and encourage can be used in similar contexts, but hearten implies the lifting of dispiritedness or despondency by an infusion of fresh courage or zeal. // a hospital patient heartened by good news

Q: Where would 'inspirit' be a reasonable alternative to 'encourage'?

The meanings of inspirit and encourage largely overlap; however, inspirit , somewhat literary, implies instilling life, energy, courage, or vigor into something. // patriots inspirited the people to resist

encourage

verb

in-ˈkər-ij

Definition of encourage

as in to inspire

to fill with courage or strength of purpose a pep talk that encouraged the team to get out there and win

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to promote

to help the growth or development of asserted that the government should be encouraging small businesses, not smothering them with regulations

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to provoke

to rouse to strong feeling or action the movie's cheap special effects will not encourage audiences to sit on the edge of their seats but to roll in the aisles with laughter

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to urge

to try to persuade (someone) through earnest appeals to follow a course of action the pastor continues to encourage the couple to work out their problems in hopes of saving their marriage

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb encourage differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of encourage are embolden, hearten, and inspirit. While all these words 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

When might embolden be a better fit than encourage?

While the synonyms embolden and encourage are close in meaning, embolden implies the giving of courage sufficient to overcome timidity or reluctance.

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

When is hearten a more appropriate choice than encourage?

The words hearten and encourage can be used in similar contexts, but hearten implies the lifting of dispiritedness or despondency by an infusion of fresh courage or zeal.

a hospital patient heartened by good news

Where would inspirit be a reasonable alternative to encourage?

The meanings of inspirit and encourage largely overlap; however, inspirit, somewhat literary, implies instilling life, energy, courage, or vigor into something.

patriots inspirited the people to resist

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of encourage Cisco is pairing its rollout with company-wide upskilling efforts and internal knowledge sharing to encourage experimentation. — Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 1 July 2026 Boston Mayor Michelle Wu encouraged residents to look out for one another as high temperatures are expected to continue through at least Friday. — Aaron Parseghian, CBS News, 2 July 2026 Valentine also testified that the FDA encourages infant formula companies to send in all adverse event reports and that nothing prevented Mead Johnson from doing so. — David Hilzenrath, USA Today, 2 July 2026 The 2023 law was designed to ostensibly encourage development of affordable housing by overriding local zoning controls, allowing developers to supersize projects with no public review. — Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 1 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for encourage

Recent Examples of Synonyms for encourage

Verb

Last night’s rude wakeup call inspires you to make some changes today!

— USA TODAY, USA Today, 2 July 2026
These 15 mountain towns in California offer contemporary amenities amid the beautiful landscapes that inspired one of nature’s most fervent champions.

— Chelsee Lowe, Travel + Leisure, 1 July 2026

Definition of inspire

Verb

Good Chop is dedicated to providing the finest cuts of meat while promoting sustainable practices.

— Rachel Cortez, USA Today, 4 July 2026
The company threw a lavish caviar party at Cannes and in May hosted panels promoting its cinematic tool at Amazon’s AI on the Lot event in Culver City.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026

Definition of promote

Verb

Montgomery’s death provoked an outpouring of heartfelt support.

— Sarah M.S. Pearsall, The Conversation, 2 July 2026
What the 1998 demolition unexpectedly uncovered roiled Miami and provoked a worldwide outcry — a mysterious set of 24 holes carved into the limestone bedrock in a perfect circle, 38 feet in diameter.

— Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 30 June 2026

Definition of provoke

Verb

When that didn’t change the safe call, Dalton immediately pointed to the Dodgers dugout, mask in hand urging manager Dave Roberts to challenge.

— Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
To end the endless copying, Anthropic has joined OpenAI in urging the US to view distillation attacks as a form of intellectual property theft.

— Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 6 July 2026

Definition of urge

Verb

But the star has cultivated a loyal collective of her favorite brands, including Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Stella McCartney and Area (recall her famous Super Bowl jeans).

— Morgan Evans, USA Today, 4 July 2026
The one-person filmmaker averages 3 million views per episode and has cultivated a YouTube audience of 500,000.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026

Definition of cultivate

Verb

In Washington, supporters argue that decades of foreign assistance fostered dependency and failed to advance American interests.

— W. Gyude Moore, semafor.com, 2 July 2026
Indiana’s goal over the next three years is to discover and foster a new wave of Italian comic talent, using Rome’s Teatro Anfitrione as a laboratory that will put on a series of live comedy shows.

— Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 2 July 2026

Definition of foster

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encounters

encourage

encouraged

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“Encourage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encourage. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of encourage

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