as in incentive
something that arouses action or activity
the huge rebates that the auto companies were offering were all the encouragement I needed to buy a new car
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of encouragement
These were claps of relief and encouragement from a European audience bracing for a mauling like JD Vance’s onslaught last year.
—
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 15 Feb. 2026
Jordan wrapped his arms around Wallace from behind and spoke closely into Wallace’s ear in a brief speech of encouragement.
—Jenna Fryer, Twin Cities, 15 Feb. 2026
That included encouragement, whether a teammate had just struck out or homered.
—Evan Grant, Dallas Morning News, 15 Feb. 2026
Jordan wrapped his arms around Wallace from behind and spoke closely into Wallace's ear in a brief speech of encouragement.
—ABC News, 15 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for encouragement
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 15 Feb. 2026
Jordan wrapped his arms around Wallace from behind and spoke closely into Wallace’s ear in a brief speech of encouragement.
—Jenna Fryer, Twin Cities, 15 Feb. 2026
That included encouragement, whether a teammate had just struck out or homered.
—Evan Grant, Dallas Morning News, 15 Feb. 2026
Jordan wrapped his arms around Wallace from behind and spoke closely into Wallace's ear in a brief speech of encouragement.
—ABC News, 15 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for encouragement
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encouragement
Noun
-
Just more incentive to get down the hill as quickly as possible.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Feb. 2026
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To be eligible for the Spirit Awards, a movie's budget cannot exceed $30 million after tax incentives.—
Jillian Sederholm,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
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That impetus brought Lance Hammer back out of the woodwork, a gauntlet thrown to himself to think through problematic contradictions involving the quite different — and often sparring — human verticals of capability, autonomy, and decline.—
Ritesh Mehta,
IndieWire,
18 Feb. 2026
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That, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer said, was the impetus for his 2002 album The Rising.—
Erik Pedersen,
Deadline,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Heldman and Nicholson’s lucid, intelligent script thus assigns characters very different, more nuanced motivations from those we are used to in iterations of this story.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
20 Feb. 2026
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All of this raises questions about their motivations, competence and conflicts of interests, which should be squarely prohibited under the Constitution’s Emoluments Clause.—
Elizabeth Shackelford,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Her wildly optimistic logic is that fiscal stimulus will spark growth, and that the private sector will raise long-stagnant wages, thereby increasing tax revenues.—
Jeff Kingston,
Time,
15 Feb. 2026
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Smart polymers already exist and can respond to such stimuli, altering their color or shape and then returning to their original state.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Encouragement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encouragement. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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