exhortation

[eg-zawr-tey-shuhn, ek-sawr-]

noun

1. the act or process of exhorting.

2. an utterance, discourse, or address conveying urgent advice or recommendations.

Other Word Forms

• nonexhortation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of exhortation¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English exhortacioun, from Latin exhortātiōn- (stem of exhortātiō ) “a pleading, urging.” See exhortative, -ion

Synonym Study

See advice.

Example Sentences

“When you grow up in poverty, you grow up in survival mode,” she says in one of several direct exhortations to the audience.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s an exhortation and an anthem — “Be the rain you remember falling” — the emotional peak of a song cycle about a girl named Sun Green who’s trying to save the Earth.

From Salon

His exhortations for people to value Mexican cuisine and the people who make it was essential in an era where too many Americans love the former and loathe the latter.

From Los Angeles Times

That said, even if some of Gilbert’s analysis feels 10 years out of date, it is nonetheless a reminder of where we come from as a culture, and a reinvigorating exhortation not to return there.

From Los Angeles Times

Right-wing Catholics are going there, too, with Vice President JD Vance rejecting Jesus's exhortations to love your neighbor and welcome the stranger, drawing a rebuke from the Pope.

From Salon

Related Words

• admonition 
• encouragement 
• entreaty 
• sermon