hearten

verb

heart·​en ˈhär-tᵊn 

heartened; heartening ˈhär-tᵊn-iŋ 

ˈhärt-niŋ

transitive verb

: to give heart to : cheer

hearteningly

ˈhär-tᵊn-iŋ-lē 

ˈhärt-niŋ-

adverb

Synonyms

• bear up
• buck up
• buoy (up)
• cheer (up)
• chirk (up)
• embolden
• encourage
• inspire
• inspirit
• steel

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 online reaction is beyond anything Kate expected, but she's been so heartened by all the love and support shown towards her little warrior. —Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 June 2025

Even so, she was heartened by the depth and passion exhibited by many of the religious leaders in the study. —Michael Pollan, New Yorker, 19 May 2025

While she's heartened by organizations that are upholding their commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, resisting threats from activist shareholders and the federal government, Catlin believes there's a role for individuals to play. —Julie Kratz, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2025

Confounding history If all of that is rather deflating, there are reasons to be heartened that, this season, things have been — and can be — different. —Chris Waugh, The Athletic, 14 Feb. 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