as in encourages
to fill with courage or strength of purpose
his poor showing in his first swim meet just emboldened him to train even harder
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Recent Examples of emboldens
With each passing month, those aggressive tactics test the moral and legal boundaries, only to be met with insufficient resistance, which, in turn, emboldens the federal immigration apparatus to push it even further.
—
Oren Peleg, New Yorker, 28 Jan. 2026
The temperamental Moon energizes your 8th House of Intimacy, while extravagant Jupiter emboldens your 11th House of Community.
—Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 24 Jan. 2026
Supporting Iranians also emboldens those fighting for the good.
—Agustina Vergara Cid, Oc Register, 23 Jan. 2026
Every nation or territory conceded to them strengthens and emboldens them for the next demand.
—Robert Kagan, The Atlantic, 18 Jan. 2026
Their opposition emboldens your resourceful 8th house and your accountable 2nd house, weighing fairness against generosity.
—Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 10 Jan. 2026
But for some students, a club that promotes Kirk’s beliefs surrounding women, people of color and those who identify as LGBTQ emboldens hate toward those groups on campus, and shouldn’t be allowed to continue.
—Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 16 Dec. 2025
Compromising on basic democratic norms like equity, justice, rights for all, and rule of law emboldens those who reject these ideals to demand more and more.
—Time, 17 Nov. 2025
This shift should assuage Beijing’s concern that the United States seeks to make Taiwan’s self-rule permanent and emboldens Taipei to take every step toward total separation short of declaring independence.
—Stephen Wertheim, Foreign Affairs, 28 Oct. 2025
Oren Peleg, New Yorker, 28 Jan. 2026
The temperamental Moon energizes your 8th House of Intimacy, while extravagant Jupiter emboldens your 11th House of Community.
—Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 24 Jan. 2026
Supporting Iranians also emboldens those fighting for the good.
—Agustina Vergara Cid, Oc Register, 23 Jan. 2026
Every nation or territory conceded to them strengthens and emboldens them for the next demand.
—Robert Kagan, The Atlantic, 18 Jan. 2026
Their opposition emboldens your resourceful 8th house and your accountable 2nd house, weighing fairness against generosity.
—Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 10 Jan. 2026
But for some students, a club that promotes Kirk’s beliefs surrounding women, people of color and those who identify as LGBTQ emboldens hate toward those groups on campus, and shouldn’t be allowed to continue.
—Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 16 Dec. 2025
Compromising on basic democratic norms like equity, justice, rights for all, and rule of law emboldens those who reject these ideals to demand more and more.
—Time, 17 Nov. 2025
This shift should assuage Beijing’s concern that the United States seeks to make Taiwan’s self-rule permanent and emboldens Taipei to take every step toward total separation short of declaring independence.
—Stephen Wertheim, Foreign Affairs, 28 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for emboldens
Verb
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The evening was more about the vibe; Gelman encourages all guests to dress up in fancy cocktail attire.—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Perhaps that’s because, unlike other reality dating TV shows like The Bachelor and Love Island, the series encourages frank conversations about politics and social issues that mirror dating in the modern age.—
Savannah Walsh,
Vanity Fair,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
There’s a lot of fear of China in Japan, economically and militarily, and, even though people understand there’s interdependence between the two countries, Takaichi is seen as being willing to stand up to China, which inspires a kind of nationalism.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2026
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SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe.—
Claire Cameron,
Scientific American,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Emboldens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/emboldens. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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