: to impart boldness or courage to : to instill with boldness, courage, or resolution enough to overcome timidity or misgiving
Great leaders embolden the rest of us to rise to our highest potentialities, to be active, insistent and resolute in affirming our own sense of things. Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.
… being near her twin did seem to embolden her, to loosen her tongue. John Updike
… other voices too timid to speak in class are often emboldened by the different and more protected role an online conversation provides. Richard A. Lanham
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
Example Sentences
his poor showing in his first swim meet just emboldened him to train even harder
Recent Examples on the WebLast year, though, the offense’s struggles seemed to embolden defenses. Jonas Shaffer, Baltimore Sun, 7 Sep. 2022 Higgins, the Bellingcat founder, hopes that the verdict will mark an important break with the impunity Russia has generally enjoyed for its actions, which has served only to embolden Putin. Timothy Mclaughlin, The Atlantic, 1 Sep. 2022 Fresh data showing a tight U.S. labor market spelled trouble for stocks, with investors believing upbeat economic readings could embolden the Fed to continue with big interest-rate increases. Hannah Miao, WSJ, 30 Aug. 2022 Roe v Wade has helped embolden conservative feeling in the region, and could lead to even more restrictive practices. Guy Davies, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2022 Proponents of the legislation say the reforms were meant to create a more equitable criminal justice system while opponents think the reforms will weaken law enforcement and embolden criminals. Dan Petrella, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2022 Did the opportunity to strike out on her own, both financially and creatively, embolden her to write music that felt, well, more like her? Liam Hess, Vogue, 23 Aug. 2022 And that might kind of help embolden politicians to go for something more aggressive. Robin Lloyd, Scientific American, 23 Aug. 2022 Meanwhile, the restraint shown by leaders in Taipei and Washington as far as a military response to the recent Chinese exercises may embolden the PLA even more, the analysts say. Brad Lendon, CNN, 19 Aug. 2022 See More