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

The Night Manager star was heartened by the positive reputation that Hillary still maintains in the region where the film takes place. — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Sep. 2026

Ambuehl is heartened by the continuing recovery of the Palisades and Malibu. — Hadley Meares, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026

But he is heartened by the manpower that state and federal agencies and nonprofits like his are aiming at keeping relatively cool streams for the trout. — Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 8 Sep. 2026

While all sides are feeling the economic impact and loss of tourism, some are heartened and others resentful. — Scott Peterson, Christian Science Monitor, 31 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1524, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hearten

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

Kids Definition

hearten

verb

heart·​en ˈhärt-ᵊn 

heartened; heartening ˈhärt-niŋ 

-ᵊn-iŋ

: to cheer up : encourage