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

There’s no way to replace all that was lost in less than two weeks, but Smook has been heartened by the support. —Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026

They were heartened by the positive response to the practice run. —Vincent T. Davis, San Antonio Express-News, 9 Feb. 2026

He’s been heartened to see the chain reaction of other restaurants following suit. —Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 30 Jan. 2026

Courtesy of subject In the meantime, Carr says she’s heartened by the response she’s gotten online. —Jennifer Liu, CNBC, 27 Jan. 2026

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