exhort

verb

ex·​hort ig-ˈzȯrt 

exhorted; exhorting; exhorts

transitive verb

: to incite by argument or advice : urge strongly

exhorting voters to do the right thing

intransitive verb

: to give warnings or advice : make urgent appeals

exhorter noun

Did you know?

If you want to add a little oomph to your urge in speech or writing—and formal oomph at that—we exhort you to try using exhort as a synonym instead. Arriving in the 15th century from the Anglo-French word exorter, exhort traces back further to the Latin verb hortari, meaning “to incite to action, urge on, or encourage.” Latin users added the prefix ex- to hortari to intensify it; in essence, exhortari is a succinct way of saying “to really, really urge.” The Latin words adhortari (its meaning similar to that of exhortari) and dehortari (“to dissuade”) also found their way into English as adhort and dehort, respectively, but neither of these remains in current use.

Synonyms

• egg (on)
• encourage
• goad
• nudge
• press
• prod
• prompt
• urge

Examples of exhort in a Sentence

He exhorted his people to take back their land.

She exhorted her listeners to support the proposition.

Recent Examples on the Web

Suddenly, an email arrives in your inbox exhorting you to make, mmm … esquites! —Drew Goins, Washington Post, 21 June 2024

However, this road will get much harder from here, starting with a fourth-place Big Ten team, Northwestern, in the second round on Sunday, so Hurley, even as the lead soared to 46-10 in the first half, was as vociferous as always in exhorting the Huskies to do things right. —Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 22 Mar. 2024

The governor has also pushed the CARE Act, a statewide system of county mental health courts meant to compel treatment for those with severe mental illnesses, exhorting counties to move with urgency on homelessness reforms and initiatives. —Vik Jolly, Sacramento Bee, 3 June 2024

Within hours of the incident, the commander of Iran’s Quds Force, Esmail Ghaani, flew into Baghdad to exhort Iran’s client groups in Iraq to halt attacks on U.S. forces. —Joost Hiltermann, Foreign Affairs, 28 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French exorter, from Latin exhortari, from ex- + hortari to incite — more at yearn

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

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Kids Definition

exhort

verb

ex·​hort ig-ˈzȯrt 

: to urge strongly

exhorted all citizens to vote

exhorter noun