Meaning & use
strengthen resolve
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phrase
to make someone more determined to do something, or to make a decision firmer.
Grammar: Used with a possessive or with 'someone's': 'strengthen her resolve', 'strengthen the team's resolve'. 'Resolve' is uncountable.
Patterns
- strengthen someone's resolve
- strengthen resolve to do something
The difficult training strengthened her resolve to finish the marathon.
His speech strengthened the students' resolve to protest peacefully.
The setback only strengthened their resolve to try again.
Common combinations
- strengthen someone's resolve
- The coach's words strengthened the team's resolve before the final match.
- strengthen resolve to do something
- The new law strengthened our resolve to fight for equal rights.
- only strengthen resolve
- The criticism only strengthened his resolve to succeed.
Synonyms and how they differ
- harden
- Used with 'resolve' or 'determination', but suggests becoming less emotional or more stubborn, not simply more determined.
- reinforce
- More general; you reinforce an idea, a feeling, or a structure, while 'strengthen resolve' is a fixed pairing.
- bolster
- Formal; often used with 'confidence' or 'morale' rather than 'resolve'.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: strengthen resolve or solve?
strengthen resolve vs solve
'Solve' means find an answer to a problem; 'resolve' as a noun means determination. They sound similar but are different words.
Practice
The unexpected delay only ______ our resolve to complete the project.
Choose one answer.
The past tense 'strengthened' matches the past time of the sentence ('The unexpected delay only...'). 'Strengthen' is the base form and would need a different subject or auxiliary; 'strengthening' is a participle and cannot be the main verb here; 'strengthens' is present tense and clashes with the past context.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “strengthen resolve”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.