Synonyms of hearten

hearten

verb

ˈhär-tᵊn 

as in to inspire

to fill with courage or strength of purpose

thinking we were hopelessly lost, we were heartened by the sight of a familiar farmhouse

Synonyms & Similar Words

• inspire
• encourage
• embolden
• inspirit
• bear up
• reinforce
• steel
• buoy (up)
• cheer (up)
• invigorate
• stimulate
• reassure
• enliven
• provoke
• animate
• assure
• strengthen
• chirk (up)
• buck up
• enforce
• energize
• excite
• galvanize
• fortify
• stir
• rally
• quicken
• boost

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• discourage
• dishearten
• daunt
• depress
• undermine
• demoralize
• sadden
• weaken
• dispirit
• debilitate
• intimidate
• hamstring
• enfeeble
• psych (out)

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb hearten differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of hearten are embolden, encourage, and inspirit. While all these words mean "to fill with courage or strength of purpose," hearten implies the lifting of dispiritedness or despondency by an infusion of fresh courage or zeal.

a hospital patient heartened by good news

When can embolden be used instead of hearten?

While in some cases nearly identical to hearten, embolden implies the giving of courage sufficient to overcome timidity or reluctance.

emboldened by her first success, she tried an even more difficult climb

When might encourage be a better fit than hearten?

Although the words encourage and hearten have much in common, encourage suggests the raising of one's confidence especially by an external agency.

the teacher's praise encouraged the students to greater efforts

When could inspirit be used to replace hearten?

The words inspirit and hearten are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, inspirit, somewhat literary, implies instilling life, energy, courage, or vigor into something.

patriots inspirited the people to resist

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of hearten

We are heartened by our Bishop Michael Pham, himself a refugee, who, like so many Vietnamese refugees of that era, endured unspoken hardship to be here, who just in his person conveys a sense of hope in the American dream, and that God is with us, through thick and thin. —Scott Santarosa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026

And that's been really heartening to me. —Brenton Blanchet, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026

Upcoming Reports While college officials will be heartened by these data, they should be interpreted cautiously, particularly when extrapolating to what total applicant volume might look like by the end of the admission cycle. —Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026

Members encouraged by unions’ responses Quirk-Silva came away heartened that the carpenters and trade unions saw work opportunities for their members in the future. —Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 15 Jan. 2026