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

Democrats have been heartened by a raft of new polling showing their candidates either leading or running even with Republicans. — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 23 Oct. 2026

Amidst the court battle and confusion, locals are at least heartened to see their beloved park getting more national attention. — Rachel Treisman, NPR, 23 Oct. 2026

In a statement, Kenneth Kahn, chair of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, said he was heartened by the creation of the Mishopshno State Marine Conservation Area, named for a nearby historical village. — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026

It’s been heartening to see conservative and religious leaders join Democrats to speak out against Hegseth’s proposal. — Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 12 Oct. 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