Meaning & use
emboldening
Last updated
Giving someone more confidence or courage to do something.
See it in a sentence
The coach's praise had the effect of emboldening the young athletes before the final match.
Early success on the battlefield was emboldening the rebel forces.
A note on using this word
Formed from 'bold' with the causative pattern en-...-en, also seen in 'enlighten' and 'enliven'.
Words with a similar meaning
encouraginginspiritingstrengthening
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
discouragingintimidating
Make it your own
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