encouraging

1 of 2

adjective

en·​cour·​ag·​ing in-ˈkər-i-jiŋ 

-ˈkə-ri-, 

en-

: giving hope or promise

encouraging news

encouragingly

in-ˈkər-i-jiŋ-lē 

-ˈkə-ri-, 

en-

adverb

encouraging

2 of 2

present participle of encourage

Synonyms of encouraging

Adjective

• promising
• bright
• optimistic

Examples of encouraging in a Sentence

Adjective

We've just heard some encouraging news.

encouraging signs that the economy is improving

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

For Hoffman, the evening’s results were encouraging but not necessarily conclusive, and the extensive use of guarantees should be taken with a grain of salt. — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 14 Oct. 2026

That stabilization was particularly encouraging after the bank had missed net interest margin estimates in nine of the previous 10 quarters. — Alexa Lomonaco, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026

The encouraging part is that undocumented knowledge isn’t unknowable. — Balaji Sreenivasan, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026

But Scharf also gave a potentially encouraging signal about the broader economy and future profits for companies across industries. — Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1593, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for encouraging

• discouraging