encouragement
Americannoun
-
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
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.
It read: “A Sober Person, well recommended, who hath been us’d to the Employment of an Oysterman on York River, may meet with good Encouragement, on applying to Benjamin Bryan.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 19, 2025
"Encouragement came from the government, followed by local experimentation, the gaining of experience, the refinement of regulations and eventually allowing a broad implementation."
From BBC • Jun. 6, 2025
Encouragement also came from long-time customers like former fisherman Yasutaka Shishido, who had no qualms about buying local fish and vegetables.
From Reuters • Aug. 22, 2023
In this case, the express language of the Encouragement Provision is overbroad for at least three reasons.
From Slate • Jun. 27, 2023
Now, the Fires having greatly advanced, Livestock was pouring out of the Folds of the Hills down towards Hog Island without any Human Encouragement.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
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.
