Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Thesaurus

embolden

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of embolden

to fill with courage or strength of purpose

  • his poor showing in his first swim meet just emboldened him to train even harder
Synonyms of embolden

bear up, buck up, buoy (up), cheer (up), chirk (up), encourage, hearten, inspire, inspirit, steel
Words Related to embolden

animate, enliven, invigorate

enforce, fortify, reinforce (also reenforce), strengthen

assure, reassure

boost, energize, excite, galvanize, provoke, quicken, rally, stimulate, stir
Near Antonyms of embolden

demoralize, depress, sadden

debilitate, enfeeble, hamstring, undermine, weaken

intimidate, psych (out)
Antonyms of embolden

daunt, discourage, dishearten, dispirit

Synonym Discussion of embolden

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

Learn More about embolden

  1. See words that rhyme with embolden Dictionary: Definition of embolden Nglish: Translation of embolden for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of embolden for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up embolden? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show comments hide comments

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games