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.
Wildlife biologists are heartened by the recent photos.—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 June 2025 And those deeds hearten those who connected with her on sacred ground for Black writers — Black bookstores.—Katie Mitchell, Essence, 7 June 2025 That confidence heartened shareholders, of which Wilson is one of the largest.—Brendan Coffey, Sportico.com, 20 May 2025 Recent trade deal announcements with the U.K. and China have heartened the stock market which soared on Monday following the U.S. agreement with China.—Anne Marie D. Lee, CBS News, 15 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for hearten
Share