emboldened

Rarely im·bold·ened

[em-bohl-dnd]

adjective

1. made bold or bolder; given the courage or nerve to do something daring, challenging, or controversial.

   It was unclear whether the missile fire was the work of an emboldened rebel force, the military, or some mixture of both.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of embolden.

Word History and Origins

Origin of emboldened¹

embolden ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

In a memo filed Monday, California Deputy Solicitor General Christopher D. Hu warned that the decision had emboldened the administration to deploy troops elsewhere, citing Portland as an example.

From Los Angeles Times

“The opponents of basic objectives of the act have been emboldened,” he told me.

From Los Angeles Times

The lasting significance of the public outrage over Kimmel’s supposedly indefinite suspension won’t be fully known for some time, but in the short term, he’s been emboldened by public support.

From Salon

Zelensky has ruled out retreating from the four embattled region, warning that would leave the door open for an emboldened Russia to mount another offensive in the future.

From BBC

As for the group itself, it may feel emboldened - but would know that it could still be banned again if its actions cross the terrorism laws line.

From BBC

Related Words

• buoyant 
• cheerful 
• comfortable 
• confident 
• eager 
• enthusiastic 
• rosy 
• sanguine 
• trusting 
• upbeat