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
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:
I’ve always been a little skeptical of the government’s encouragement to delay claiming benefits.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 11, 2026
“Everyone had a little bit of feedback that she gave, both encouragement and also points of improvement for each person, and I think it was received,” Ogwumike said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
Mr. McElwee signs off on the project, with the encouragement of Adrian—who has long thought his father should aim more for the mainstream—and the proviso that he be allowed to shoot a making-of film.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Video footage seen in court showed her lying motionless on the ground with "her face buried in her hands", while another boy was heard shouting words of encouragement.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
So Mr. Galanter stood near home plate, shouting instructions and words of encouragement, and we batted and tossed the ball around.
From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok
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
Yet tucked among the encouragements to get “hipped to oneness” and “train the other sight” is the dark glimmer of where the cult-religion line blurs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 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
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
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.
