Synonyms

exhort

American

[ig-zawrt] / ɪgˈzɔrt /

verb (used with object)

to urge, advise, or caution earnestly; admonish urgently.

Synonyms:

goad, press, spur, encourage

verb (used without object)

to give urgent advice, recommendations, or warnings.

Synonyms:

goad, press, spur, encourage

exhort British

/ ɪɡˈzɔːtətɪv, ɪɡˈzɔːt /

verb

to urge or persuade (someone) earnestly; advise strongly

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

exhortative adjective
exhorter noun
exhortingly adverb
unexhorted adjective

Etymology

Origin of exhort

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English ex(h)orte, from Latin exhortārī “to encourage greatly,” from ex- ex- ¹ + hortārī “to encourage, urge”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Official propaganda exhorted citizens to face their lives and their duty to the Fatherland with endurance and perseverance.

From The Wall Street Journal

During a commercial break at last year’s Oscars, he got up onstage and exhorted the crowd to get up and dance as a toast to Los Angeles.

From The Wall Street Journal

Another man shouted on the phone, exhorting a family member to leave and that he would go in and take his stead.

From Los Angeles Times

Then Becket’s mom dies, too, but not before exhorting him to make sure he lives “the right kind of life.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Speaking at Davos earlier, Zelensky exhorted Europe to do more to ensure its own security, saying: "Europe loves to discuss the future but avoids taking action".

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023