embolden

verb

em·​bold·​en im-ˈbōl-dən 

emboldened; emboldening; emboldens

transitive verb

: 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

Synonyms

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

Choose the Right Synonym for embolden

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 embolden in a Sentence

his poor showing in his first swim meet just emboldened him to train even harder

Recent Examples on the Web

The free world is threatened by a nuclear North Korea that has been emboldened in recent years by a stronger alliance with China and Russia with weaker deterrence by the U.S. —Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2024

Vigilante Expulsion By 1885, anti-Chinese forces in the West had become emboldened by the federal government's actions declaring that Chinese immigration was, in fact, a problem that needed to be solved. —Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 26 Nov. 2024

How to survive conversations about politics A chaotic presidential transition could embolden U.S. adversaries Photos from final days of presidential race A Virginia principal went to vote. —Washington Post, 25 Nov. 2024

Border militias under the first Trump administration flourished, emboldened by surging anti-immigrant and nativist rhetoric. —Tess Owen, WIRED, 21 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

embolden

verb

em·​bold·​en im-ˈbōl-dən 

: to make bold