encouraging

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

Synonyms of encouraging

• promising
• bright
• optimistic

Examples of encouraging in a Sentence

We've just heard some encouraging news.

encouraging signs that the economy is improving

Recent Examples on the Web

The encouraging sign is that AI can now help police what AI builders are doing through agent simulation, anomaly detection and better observability. — Jason Andersen, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026

This convergence is a very encouraging sign, providing the first footprint of a structural trend change and indicating that the selling pressure from the recent rug pull is finally exhausting itself. — Nishant Pant, CNBC, 7 July 2026

Perhaps the most encouraging sign for the Braves was López’s stuff. — Jesús Cano, New York Times, 7 July 2026

The Warriors will likely ask Lendeborg to defend multiple positions during the regular season, and those block were an encouraging sign of his ability to do just that. — Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 6 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for encouraging

• discouraging