encouragement
Americannoun
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encouragements
plural
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the act of encouraging.
-
the state of being encouraged.
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something that encourages.
Praise is the greatest encouragement.
- Synonyms:
- endorsement, lift, boost, support, praise
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of encouragement
Explanation
When you help someone by offering positive words of support and approval, that's encouragement. It must have been the words of encouragement you gave in the airport lounge that helped your friend board the plane. Within the word encouragement we see the word "courage," which means the ability to face danger and deal with it. To encourage, then, is to help develop that ability in someone, while the "ment" at the end makes that development into a noun, the act of giving courage or support to another. You needed a little encouragement to try horse riding again, after your injuries healed.
Vocabulary lists containing encouragement
Catching Fire
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"Refugees Find New Lives"
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Taste of Salt
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
It adopts a helpful no-punishment philosophy: If you don’t meet your goals or you step away from the app for an extended amount of time, it only sends encouragement.
From Slate ● Sep. 6, 2026
However, they should have been better than two wins in 10, and the dismal nature of Pakistan's performance means Root's men can only take limited encouragement from their week in Leeds.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
I hope that anyone reading the book feels the same encouragement to follow their inner muse.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Considered alongside its stars’ tragically brief lives, “Ice Princess” conveys the critical need to give teenagers both stalwart encouragement and the tools to speak up when they need help.
From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2026
Damasen handled him with surprising gentleness, murmuring words of encouragement that she couldn’t quite catch.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
I wonder how well and efficiently he would have written it with frequent and intermittent shouts being thrown his way, regardless of whether they were insults or encouragements.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2025
To get out of the slump and push the quality upward again, I clap my hands and shout encouragements like a ranting soccer coach: “Come on now!”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2023
The chat and commenters on Twitter were screaming encouragements, hyped as all hell to have the privilege of watching Malenia fall for the 1,000th time.
From The Verge ● May 11, 2022
In the Digital Wellbeing settings, tap Bedtime Mode to add further sleep-friendly encouragements, like enabling your Do Not Disturb shield, turning the screen black-and-white or just keeping it off.
From New York Times ● Nov. 3, 2021
We all ran, screaming encouragements to make it rise higher.
From "Tasting the Sky" by Ibtisam Barakat
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
