hearten

verb

heart·​en ˈhär-tᵊn 

heartened; heartening ˈhär-tᵊn-iŋ 

ˈhärt-niŋ

transitive verb

: to give heart to : cheer

a victory that heartened the fans

hearteningly

ˈhär-tᵊn-iŋ-lē 

ˈhärt-niŋ-

adverb

Synonyms of hearten

• inspire
• encourage

Choose the Right Synonym for hearten

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

Stacy Gallagher, development and policy coordinator for the Sea Turtle Conservancy, had traveled from Gainesville to make that case, and remembers feeling heartened when boisterous applause punctuated each of her points. —Denise Hruby, Miami Herald, 15 Dec. 2025

It’s been heartening to see these many reverent tributes to not only Reiner’s good deeds in the arena of social justice, but also to his film work, which has maybe not always been properly appreciated for its breadth and vitality. —Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 15 Dec. 2025

We were heartened this week by news that CEO Saniv Lamba purchased nearly $1 million in Linde stock. —Paulina Likos,morgan Chittum, CNBC, 12 Dec. 2025

Despite this, Ronda was heartened by some of the responses to the post, many of which came from fellow parents and once-rebellious kids turned adults who offered sympathy and similar stories. —Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1524, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hearten

• carton
• garten
• marten
• parton
• quartan
• spartan
• tartan
• kindergarten

Kids Definition

hearten

verb

heart·​en ˈhärt-ᵊn 

heartened; heartening ˈhärt-niŋ 

-ᵊn-iŋ

: to cheer up : encourage