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- DictionaryEn·cour·age/inˈkərij/
verb
- 1. give support, confidence, or hope to (someone): "we were encouraged by the success of this venture" Similar heartencheerbuoy upupliftinspiremotivateegg onspur onstirstir upwhip upfire upstimulateanimateinvigoratevitalizerevitalizeemboldenfortifyrallyincitelift the spirits ofraise the morale ofstiffen the resolve ofinformal:buck uppep upgive a shot in the arm tolight a fire underrare:inspiritspirit someone upfillipincentivizeOpposite discourage
- ▪ give support and advice to (someone) so that they will do or continue to do something: "pupils are encouraged to be creative" Similar persuadecoaxurgepresspushpressurepressurizeexhortspurprodgoadegg onpromptinfluenceswayinformal:put the heat onput the screws ontwist someone's armOpposite dissuade
- ▪ help or stimulate (an activity, state, or view) to develop: "the intention is to encourage new writing talent" Similar supportbackendorsechampionadvocaterecommendpromotefurtheradvanceforwardfosterstrengthenenrichhelpassistaidabetboostfuelfavorOpposite hinder
Word Origin Middle English (formerly also as incourage): from French encourager, from en- ‘in’ + corage ‘courage’.
Derivatives
- 1. encourager noun
Scrabble Points: 12
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