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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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 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
Its inclusion will hearten many developing nations, which have been asking for a clear financial commitment to tackle the impacts of climate change that they can't adapt to.
From BBC • Nov. 10, 2021
But what if you’re looking to hearten rather than startle the soul?
From New York Times • Oct. 29, 2020
If you like omens, here’s one to hearten Seahawks fans — the last time Seattle opened the preseason against the Chargers on the road the Seahawks went on to win the Super Bowl.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 12, 2017
Ralph had watched the water fight with sadness in his heart, never guessing the scene would one day hearten him, as it did now.
From "Typical American" by Gish Jen
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.
