as in to inspire
to fill with courage or strength of purpose
his poor showing in his first swim meet just emboldened him to train even harder
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of embolden
However, bots like these have already proven capable of endangering vulnerable young people and emboldening those with dangerous impulses.
—
Andrew R. Chow, Time, 12 June 2025
The shift to the right in EU politics embolden opponents to the European Green Deal directives.
—Jon McGowan, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025
In recent years, NCAA enforcement has lost its teeth, with schools emboldened to push back — sometimes with the help of their state’s attorney general.
—Evan Drellich, New York Times, 7 June 2025
Critics of the Pentagon’s decision warn that depriving Ukraine of essential defenses risks emboldening Moscow, while proponents argue the reallocation reflects the Pentagon’s need to meet global security obligations with limited resources.
—Katya Soldak, Forbes.com, 7 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for embolden
Andrew R. Chow, Time, 12 June 2025
The shift to the right in EU politics embolden opponents to the European Green Deal directives.
—Jon McGowan, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025
In recent years, NCAA enforcement has lost its teeth, with schools emboldened to push back — sometimes with the help of their state’s attorney general.
—Evan Drellich, New York Times, 7 June 2025
Critics of the Pentagon’s decision warn that depriving Ukraine of essential defenses risks emboldening Moscow, while proponents argue the reallocation reflects the Pentagon’s need to meet global security obligations with limited resources.
—Katya Soldak, Forbes.com, 7 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for embolden
Recent Examples of Synonyms for embolden
Verb
-
Palm Tree Crew, which was valued in 2024 at $150 million, activates each of its partner brands into the fabric of its experiences, which cofounders Kygo and Myles Shear, inspired by Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville empire, started about five years ago.—
Andrew Watman,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
-
The end is a three-and-a-half-minute outro inspired by The King and I… the music had this waltzing, temptress thing.—
Tomás Mier,
Rolling Stone,
20 June 2025
Verb
-
These plays still aren’t consistent from Ivey, but look for the Pistons to put him in more pick-and-roll situations to encourage more growth in that department.—
Hunter Patterson,
New York Times,
18 June 2025
-
State lawmakers created the program in 2017 to encourage more publicly funded, privately run schools to open in areas where traditional public schools had been failing for years, giving students and families in those neighborhoods a way to bail out of a persistently struggling school.—
Kate Payne,
The Orlando Sentinel,
18 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Embolden.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/embolden. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share