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

Sandy is impressed with his initiative and heartened that Nathan and Joe’s friendship has given way to professionalism. —Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2025

However, he is heartened by research that shows most Americans strongly disapprove of the current state of affairs. —John T. Shaw, Twin Cities, 7 Dec. 2025

Ambika Maharaj, a striking Teamsters member who has worked in campus security at El Cerrito High School since 2009, said the support has been heartening during a time when many of the staff feel undervalued by their employer. —Sierra Lopez, Mercury News, 5 Dec. 2025

The news is especially heartening after Boeing’s messy third-quarter earnings report in October, which triggered a weeks-long selloff due to a larger-than-expected charge associated with delays in the 777X program. —Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 2 Dec. 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