hearten

verb

heart·​en ˈhär-tᵊn 

heartened; heartening ˈhär-tᵊn-iŋ 

ˈhärt-niŋ

transitive verb

: to give heart to : cheer

hearteningly

ˈhär-tᵊn-iŋ-lē 

ˈhärt-niŋ-

adverb

Synonyms

• bear up
• buck up
• buoy (up)
• cheer (up)
• chirk (up)
• embolden
• encourage
• inspire
• inspirit
• steel

Choose the Right Synonym for hearten

encourage, inspirit, hearten, embolden mean to fill with courage or strength of purpose.

encourage suggests the raising of one's confidence especially by an external agency.

the teacher's praise encouraged the students to greater efforts

inspirit, somewhat literary, implies instilling life, energy, courage, or vigor into something.

patriots inspirited the people to resist

hearten implies the lifting of dispiritedness or despondency by an infusion of fresh courage or zeal.

a hospital patient heartened by good news

embolden implies the giving of courage sufficient to overcome timidity or reluctance.

emboldened by her first success, she tried an even more difficult climb

Examples of hearten in a Sentence

The team's victory has heartened its fans.

thinking we were hopelessly lost, we were heartened by the sight of a familiar farmhouse

Recent Examples on the Web

Reed said he has been heartened to see improvements in the system and believes the power of the Community Justice Council meetings lies in empowering people by giving them a better understanding of the system. —Eva Wen, Journal Sentinel, 11 Dec. 2024

And they will be heartened by initial moves to secure an orderly transition to a new government. —Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 Dec. 2024

Publication of the poll in the week before the election heartened Democrats as a potential sign that Harris had momentum, not just in Iowa, but potentially in other crucial Midwestern battleground states. —James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 17 Dec. 2024

Sara Holdren’s Top 10 Shows In my first full year back on the job, I’ve been heartened, especially in recent dark days, to see collaboration everywhere. —Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1524, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

hearten

verb

heart·​en ˈhärt-ᵊn 

heartened; heartening ˈhärt-niŋ 

-ᵊn-iŋ

: to cheer up : encourage