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
His new stance imperils Americans and emboldens China, which makes a future crisis likelier than ever.
—
Thomas Wright, The Atlantic, 18 May 2026
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
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
Thomas Wright, The Atlantic, 18 May 2026
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
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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Each line encourages a body to shift when uttered or even when read silently to oneself.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 May 2026
-
To her daughter, 8-year-old Hazel (Nola Wallace), Paula is the fun parent, a mom who encourages ice cream for dinner, embraces cursing, enthusiastically participates in TikTok dances, and even coaches her daughter’s youth soccer team.—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
In that, Diesel x Tinder feels real and raw, skipping performative activism for something that informs and inspires.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
1 June 2026
-
Naturally, this inspires a patio refresh, and Pottery Barn’s Outdoor Sale couldn’t have come at a better time.—
Nicol Natale,
PEOPLE,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Emboldens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/emboldens. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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