hortative

adjective

hor·​ta·​tive ˈhȯr-tə-tiv 

: giving exhortation : advisory

hortatively adverb

Did you know?

"We give nothing so freely as advice," observed French writer François de la Rochefoucauld in 1665. Hortative and exhort (meaning "to urge earnestly") are two words that testify to our eagerness to counsel others. Both trace to Latin hortari, meaning "to urge." Hortative has been used as both a noun (meaning "an advisory comment") and an adjective since the 17th century, but the noun is now extremely rare. You may also encounter the adjectives hortatory, exhortatory, and exhortative, all of which have the same meaning as hortative.

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin hortativus, from Latin hortatus, past participle of hortari to urge — more at yearn

First Known Use

1623, in the meaning defined above

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!