encourage
Meanings
Verb
- contribute to the progress or growth of
- inspire with confidence; give hope or courage to
- spur on
- "His financial success encouraged him to look for a wife"
- To mentally support; to motivate, give courage, hope or spirit.
- To spur on, strongly recommend.
- To foster, give help or patronage.
Origin / Etymology
From Middle English encouragen, encoragen, from Anglo-Norman encoragier, from Old French encoragier. Displaced native Old English hiertan, tyhtan, and trymman. By surface analysis, en- + courage.
Synonyms
abet, actuate, admonish, advance, advise, advocate, bield, boost, bring about, cheer, counsel, drive, egg on, embolden, encourage, engender, evoke, excite, exhort, feed, foment, foster, further, goad, grill, grow, hearten, ignite, impel, incite, induce, inflame, instigate, invoke, lash, motivate, motive, move, nurture, obligate, oblige, promote, prompt, provoke, push, raise, recommend, rouse, send, set off, spark off, spur, spur on, stimulate, sting, stir, stir up, stoke, suggest, tempt, tip, urge, warn, whet, whip up
Antonyms
Scrabble Score: 12
encourage is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL wordencourage is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
encourage is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary