hearten
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of hearten
Explanation
Things that hearten you cheer you up. A welcome home party will hearten even the weariest traveler. You might buy flowers for your grandmother to hearten her after a difficult week, or hearten a shy tap dancer with applause after his routine. Things that encourage or inspire, whether it's the sight of your dog waiting for you outside school or another person's success, can also be said to hearten. The figurative meaning of heart — as in "losing heart" or having a "change of heart" — is at the root of hearten, from the Old English heorte, "heart, soul, or spirit."
Vocabulary lists containing hearten
The Crucible
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This Week in Words : January 19 - 25, 2019
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Every Day
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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.
This will hearten Kyiv, which has demanded more pressure be placed on Russia in talks between Moscow and Washington discussing a possible ceasefire.
From BBC • May 1, 2025
The relatively shorter break, after the company picked 2025 as the potential date for BTS' return as a group, also appeared to hearten the market.
From Reuters • Oct. 18, 2022
But what if you’re looking to hearten rather than startle the soul?
From New York Times • Oct. 29, 2020
Now I can admit to myself that I didn’t write the essay just to hearten a few conservationists and deflect some charitable dollars to better causes.
From The Guardian • Nov. 4, 2017
It certainly would hearten Doctor Warren when he heard how stupid the British had been.
From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes
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.
