Thesaurus

encourage

verb

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Synonyms & Antonyms of encourage

1 to fill with courage or strength of purpose

a pep talk that encouraged the team to get out there and win

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2 to help the growth or development of

asserted that the government should be encouraging small businesses, not smothering them with regulations

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3 to rouse to strong feeling or action

the movie's cheap special effects will not encourage audiences to sit on the edge of their seats but to roll in the aisles with laughter

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build a fire under

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4 to try to persuade (someone) through earnest appeals to follow a course of action

the pastor continues to encourage the couple to work out their problems in hopes of saving their marriage

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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