encouragement
Americannoun
-
encouragements
plural
-
the act of encouraging.
-
the state of being encouraged.
-
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
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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:
Sparking debate among academics, Harvard College Dean David Deming has suggested the "acceptance, or even encouragement" of AI in writing-based courses, according to the Harvard Crimson student newspaper.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
Through her encouragement, reading became a social, communal activity and positively relating to one another part of a purpose-driven existence.
From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026
Celtic have struggled to build up play against coherent pressing teams, which results in opposition sides being offered too much encouragement when the ball turns over.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
With Musk’s encouragement, Lowe launched Restore Britain later that year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
I can see Beatrice, dear friendly tactless Beatrice, watching me from her partner’s arms, nodding encouragement, the bangles jangling on her wrists, the veil slipping continually from her over-heated forehead.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
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
A group of men were using their bare hands to try and free her as an anxious crowd stood outside, calling out encouragements to the rescuers.
From Reuters ● Nov. 7, 2023
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
If I had not promoted Mr. Weston’s visits here, and given many little encouragements, and smoothed many little matters, it might not have come to any thing after all.
From "Emma" by Jane Austen
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.
