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
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
As a result, African post-coup governments are staying in power longer, which in turn emboldens coup plotters elsewhere who see a more permissive environment.
—John Joseph Chin, The Conversation, 16 Oct. 2025
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
As a result, African post-coup governments are staying in power longer, which in turn emboldens coup plotters elsewhere who see a more permissive environment.
—John Joseph Chin, The Conversation, 16 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for emboldens
Verb
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Poetry Out Loud encourages high school students to learn about great poetry—both classic and contemporary—through memorization, performance, and competition.—
News Release,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Mitchell encourages people to have enough of their meds for at least 36 hours to get through next Tuesday and Wednesday, and to anticipate the pharmacies will be closed at least on Sunday.—
Lauren Linder,
CBS News,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The assignment was for her son to write about his life and who inspires him.—
Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal,
Parents,
20 Jan. 2026
-
SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe.—
Allison Parshall,
Scientific American,
19 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Emboldens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/emboldens. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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