exhortation
Americannoun
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the act or process of exhorting.
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an utterance, discourse, or address conveying urgent advice or recommendations.
noun
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the act or process of exhorting
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a speech or written passage intended to persuade, inspire, or encourage
Synonym Usage
See advice.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of exhortation
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English exhortacioun, from Latin exhortātiōn- (stem of exhortātiō ) “a pleading, urging.” See exhortative, -ion
Explanation
When you were little, heading out the door on a freezing cold day, your mom probably made an exhortation to put on your hat and zip your coat up all the way. An exhortation is a loud or enthusiastic urging. Use an exhortation any time you really want to encourage someone to do something. It's a way of communicating that's persuasive and powerful — an exhortation might come from a government in the form of a speech encouraging people to get flu shots, or it might be a teacher urging his students to sit quietly. Whether it comes in the form of a warning or encouragement, an exhortation strongly advises people to take some particular action.
Vocabulary lists containing exhortation
Frankenstein
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The Merchant of Venice
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Franklin D. Roosevelt's First Inaugural Address (March 4, 1933), List 1
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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.
The truth is that the ADA’s action only validated the editorial’s exhortation to scientists to speak out forcefully: “We can no longer afford complacency and fear. We must all act now!”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2026
“Fight!” goes the exhortation in the source videogame.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026
The musicians' exhortation -- made on June 28 at the open-air festival held in southwest England -- led to the BBC saying it would no longer live-broadcast musical performances deemed "high risk".
From Barron's • Dec. 23, 2025
Lewis told Salon that, as a self-described universalist who believes that all human beings will be restored to a right relationship with God, Christian exhortation need not come at the expense of pluralism.
From Salon • Oct. 18, 2024
And it was a hurricane with one unavoidable exhortation: Roll over, Beethoven .
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
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.
