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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of encouragement
After public encouragement from singer Kelly Clarkson and others, Taylor decided to regain control of her music by rerecording her first six albums.
—
Literary Hub, 21 Jan. 2026
The Milford community showed up for us time and time again with attendance, donations, fundraising, and unwavering encouragement.
—Alysia Burgio, CBS News, 20 Jan. 2026
With a bottomless well of ideas, relentless encouragement, and a grin that only seems to widen by the season, the Wichita, Kansas, native runs TV’s most prolific reality competition series as the most benevolent of dictators.
—David Canfield, Vanity Fair, 20 Jan. 2026
Meeting yourself—as well as your inner child—with compassion and encouragement, rather than judgment, lays the groundwork to feel safe and begin to heal.
—Michele Ross, SELF, 19 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for encouragement
Literary Hub, 21 Jan. 2026
The Milford community showed up for us time and time again with attendance, donations, fundraising, and unwavering encouragement.
—Alysia Burgio, CBS News, 20 Jan. 2026
With a bottomless well of ideas, relentless encouragement, and a grin that only seems to widen by the season, the Wichita, Kansas, native runs TV’s most prolific reality competition series as the most benevolent of dictators.
—David Canfield, Vanity Fair, 20 Jan. 2026
Meeting yourself—as well as your inner child—with compassion and encouragement, rather than judgment, lays the groundwork to feel safe and begin to heal.
—Michele Ross, SELF, 19 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for encouragement
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encouragement
Noun
-
The official boundaries of the new stadium incentive district have not yet been finalized.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
8 Jan. 2026
-
The grocer will also receive a $50,000 retailer incentive bonus.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
PEOPLE,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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That recognition of the need for a multi-lateral approach to global health was the impetus behind creating the WHO in the first place, based on the reality that countries interact and depend on one another—and the health of one affects the health of all.—
Alice Park,
Time,
22 Jan. 2026
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The attack created an impetus to justify the settlement, the local settlement council chair, Yaron Rosenthal, told AP.—
Julia Frankel,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Recognition events and incentive programs reinforced status and motivation.—
Paula de la Cruz,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
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But her motivation, actions, and payoff are fundamentally different from those of her archetypical brothers and sisters.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
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This suggests the presence of an internal, self-evolving latent variable—independent of external stimuli—that shapes the timing structure of motivation and decision-making.—
Matt Emma,
USA Today,
24 Jan. 2026
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Feland adds that the additional gravitational load gives an extra stimulus for the bone to build more tissue in people who don’t get that through weight-bearing exercise or resistance training.—
Jennifer Heimlich,
Time,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Encouragement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encouragement. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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